Sharon | BEAR UP BLOG
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Sustainable. What exactly do these words mean? Most of us have heard them all before. These are all things we need to do to be proactive in helping the earth, animals and ourselves. We want to ‘Reduce’ consumption and waste of items that will end up in landfills. ‘Reuse’ items for their original purpose or be creative in repurposing them for a different use. All of which saves resources, energy and money. ‘Recycle’ items such as plastic, cardboard, glass, paper, etc. and compost for biodegradeable waste. Be sure to check with your local recycling centers on what materials are acceptable for recycling. ‘Sustainable’ products are products that provide environmental, social and economic benefits while protecting public health and environment over their whole life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials until the final disposal. – Wikipedia R.R.R.S. – Keep this acronym in mind when going about your daily routine and I bet you will see change happen! Looking at the above list, you can see that the most favorable is ‘sustainable’ but there are benefits to the others. It’s okay to use what we have on hand while we wean ourselves into using more ‘sustainable’ practices. Interestingly enough, in a prior post “What’s In Your Kitchen? The Search for Sustainable Products” got me poking around a bit more for information on products and wares that I already have in my kitchen and what the differences are. How can I make more positive changes and work my way to being more mindful of sustainability in products, consumption and waste practices? Here’s a quick list of items that I made note of in my kitchen – 👍 What we like: 👈👉Meh: 👎 What we don’t like: Think about using / adding Mason Jars, Natural Glass, Bamboo, Stainless Steel, Silicone and Beeswax to your wares to help you store your food products. Why Meh the Pyrex? Well, it isn’t recyclable. I found this out not too long ago. Please do not mix this into your recycling pile. Instead, keep using it or give it away / resell it if you don’t want it – but I don’t recommend buying new necessarily or if you were thinking about adding on like I was. There are alternatives! I’ve learned that it’s better to use glass, earthenware, ceramic or porcelain. Plastic – Why oh why do I have this, any of it? I’m weaning this out of my life as quickly as possible! On a small scale, I’m thinking of my little plastic spatula and I ask myself why do I need this? As I recall I bought it because I didn’t want to scrape my pan. Better solution – bamboo or wooden utensils – nice and sustainable. Some plastics are recyclable but still… If I can reuse any of my plastic wares then I’ll keep them until they are no longer viable and they will eventually get retired to the recycling bin. I’m not proud of the items I have but I’m making strides in getting away from purchasing plastic. Small steps forward are great strides when combined! Teflon – Also not recyclable. There is a lot to learn about how cookware is made and what to be mindful of but I’m going to ‘stick’ with R.R.R.S. on this one. While I have a few of these on hand I won’t be buying them again. I’ll replace these with cast iron which, when seasoned properly, should take on a nice non-stick surface. Alternatives would be stainless steel and ceramic. Why take the chance when there are other healthier, sustainable alternatives? Isn’t your health worth it? Sure, you may have to soak/scrub a little but that won’t hurt anyone! Be sure to do your research when using/buying cookware. There are many articles that discuss the chemicals used to manufacture them and how they can effect us. The manufacturing varies by brand not necessarily by material. It’s important to be mindful of this as it likely effects how you dispose of them. Aluminum Foil – UH OH!! I’ve been doing this wrong for years!!! Aluminum can leach toxins. Geez, those creepy toxic chemicals are everywhere! “… research suggests that aluminium foil should not be used for cooking. Instead, we’d recommend using glassware or porcelain when preparing baked dishes. It’s safe to wrap cold food in foil, though not for long stretches of time because food has a shelf life and because aluminium in the foil will begin to leach into the food depending on ingredients like spices.” – Huffington Post It is only recyclable when it is clean and free of food particles. Even then you need to check with your recycling center to see if they will accept it. Plastic Garbage Bags – I was using these for way too many things back before I became more mindful. Here’s what I’ve changed: Please keep in mind that plastic containers that say ‘BPA-Free’ may not be good for you either. National Geographic published an article ‘Why ‘BPA Free’ May Not Mean a Plastic Product is Safe’ goes into detail about studies that have been done. It’s helpful to know exactly what these chemicals are effecting such as – “Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a common building block in resins and some types of plastic. It’s what’s known as an endocrine disrupting compound. In the body, these chemicals can act like hormones or disrupt normal hormone functions.“ Maybe some of us know that already but this next bit will most likely get you researching some more… ” The latest study adds to the mounting research that suggests consumers aren’t off the hook buying BPA-free plastic. The results show that common BPA replacements—BPS, BPF, BPAF and diphenyl sulphone—can interfere with what Hunt characterizes as “the very, very, very, very earliest part of making eggs and sperm.” You don’t have to be a scientist to know that doesn’t sound healthy! Well, that’s a beeswax wrap folks 😉 I look forward to continuing on this hunt for solutions and sharing again soon. In the meantime, be kind and stay positive! Treat your body well, take note of the above, watch what you are eating, drinking and where your head is at. It’s all connected as we all are to each other, the earth and the animals. Time to curl up until next time – Purr Out!
Wow — I never knew aluminum foil could leach toxins into your food! NOT GOOD! Thanks for the info!
We use a compost bin at home and love it. In D.C., we have a compost drop-off program so you don’t have to worry about processing the compost yourself. We cook at home all the time, so most of our waste is in the form of compost — read: we fill up our cute little bin multiple times throughout the week. Keep a brown bag in the freezer to hold all your excess compost throughout the week, and when you drop it off the brown bag can be composted with it! No odor, no mess!
It was a shocker for me too Meredith! So glad you found this information helpful and appreciate you sharing your experience with composting! Any chance you have a link you can share for the bin you use or was it provided for you by your town?
Absolutely! Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Countertop-Leakproof-Container-Stainless-Charcoal/dp/B01LZQ01NG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1537561480&sr=8-3&keywords=copper+compost+bin
It comes with a year’s supply of compostable baggies to make the whole process super easy! Plus, there is ZERO smell — the carbon filters really work!
Thank so much for sharing this cute little bin for composting!