Well we just celebrated our 50th swap and when I started the swaps over a year and a half ago - the whole idea was to reduce waste, and reuse things- keep these baby and kiddo and maternity items in use for as long as possible. I like it when people show up to the swaps with their reusable bags - : ) most of them do. I really dislike icky plastic grocery bags and discourage anyone from using them. : /... Anyways, with Earth Day coming up - it's a good time to take little steps towards 'being green' it really is easy- I am sure most of you already do all the little things that come with being green but just adding one new one is so cool. I am really going to try and make the swaps at some point (hopefully by the end of the year) zero waste events (or as close to zero as possible) - it's a lofty goal - but something to work towards. One of my pet peeves, is when people bring me their stained and smelly clothes. I can't really take this stuff to charity - they can't sell it. True, they can be used as rags. But you can imagine how many rags I have at home - I have been doing swaps for almost 2 years. I am going to start looking for a use for these, shredding them and making something of them - I don't know.... If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Other than the stained and/or dirty stuff at the end of a swap we really have very little waste left over - Items go to charity, people take what they need in their bags. It's a beautiful thing. It's local - It's green. It's awesome. ;)
And, if you can't find what you are searching for at our swaps, check your local thrift or consignment stores - that is next best recycling option.
Feel free to post any new or cool things you are going to do this Earth day to be a 'greener' human : )
until then....
happy swapping.
meg
I thought the local animal shelters could use the old clothes as rags... is that not the case?
ReplyDeleteYes! definitely - some do & some don't - but they don't always want the leftovers - sometimes people :~/ will bring in a whole garbage bag of yucky stuff - and before we can tell them we can't take it - they disappear! we are just looking for alternatives for overflow of these stained items - other options. But yes, I do check animal shelters first - and they have told me - they take stuff up to "the ridge" ( a lot of recyclers up there in the North San Juan area) so hopefully even the stained stuff is getting recycled. ;) love it.
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