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Recycle, Up-cycle, Down-Cycle
What do these mean?
So
many of us dutifully recycle our items thinking that we are doing good,
and thinking that a like product is going to be made from the item. This is wrong so I've decided to explain this to everyone
interested.
Recycle
means that the item will be turned into a
'like' product. Paper and Glass are two that work like this. However,
the cost of recycling these items is still a little higher than the
cost of making new, so creating 'like' items does not go as fast as it
should and the 'new' items made are a little more expensive.
Up-cycle
is a newer term that I'm loving. It is taking an old item and making
something new and useful with it. My Mother did a wonderful Up-cycle of
plastic grocery bags by making a Plant Hanger from them.
Down-cycle
is the one the scares me. And, this is what happens to most
plastic (as apposed to recycle like we 'think'). Down-cycling is when a
lessor product is made. Not lessor in terms of poor quality (although
that is an issue as well) but in terms of less demand. For example,
plastic is used to make some sports shirts. The biggest problem with
down-cycling is that it does not ease the creation of the product with
new materials (in the case of plastic - using petroleum). This results
in many people 'feeling' like they are doing good by 'thinking' they
are recycling, when in fact it's a falsehood. A person doesn't think
twice about buying something in plastic because they think they are
recycling it.
One of the BEST ways we can all combat this problem is to think in
terms of up-cycling our own things and reusing what we can instead of
always buying new. You MUST be careful with what you up-cycle or reuse (Please read this information on
Plastic). However, with a little education and
creativity we CAN make a difference.
One of my favorite saying along these lines is this, "If you don't
think one small voice can make a difference - try sleeping in a room
with one mosquito."
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All
information, shared on
this web site, is for enjoyment and study only and is NOT meant to
diagnose or treat any medical condition. Only your
health care professional is qualified to diagnose or treat medical
conditions. Do not risk your health! Just because
something is 'natural' does NOT make it safe. Do not, under
any
circumstance, ingest or use herbs in any form
without consulting your Doctor. If you do, you do so
at
your OWN RISK.
Web Site
Content (text, graphics, look and feel) are Copyright Protected © All
Rights Reserved 2009 - 2010, Sandy Marie.
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What I can harvest
and offer is limited by my area and season. The only other supplier I
trust is
Mountain Rose Herbs.
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This
website is made
possible & successful
because of Site Build
It
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