Before the onslaught of modern technology, things weren't as bad as some of the more modern, woke, folks would lead you to believe. Now, I'm all for things being environmentally friendly, and leaving behind a 'low carbon footprint' on this planet. However, there is a point to which I draw the line, and usually that point is where things start to get completely goofy. I'm not talking about the trendy zero-waste life style. I'm talking about adding flat out idiocy to the 'environmentally friendly' idea. That's all this is. It's an 'idea'. I say that because even with the bulk of humanity recycling everything to absolute death, there's somehow still a garbage pile that's approximately the size of Texas, floating around somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean...and roughly 90% of it is plastic. So much for that recycling center, huh? The truth is, that only about 40% of what we put in the recycle bin actually gets recycled....by anyone. Most of it just ends up in a landfill somewhere, and forgotten about, until the landfill becomes too large. See, it was only about 40 - 50 years ago that almost nothing was put into plastic containers. Although plastics have been around, in one form or another, since 1907 (yes, you read that year correctly), it was not a readily available material that was considered to be 'cost effective' for companies (thankfully). As such, almost every single thing people purchased, came in 1 of 5 different variations of containers - all of which are able to be recycled. Wood, metal, glass, cardboard or paper.
Fresh produce, such as berries, were contained in thin wooden slat baskets. Meat was wrapped in butcher paper. Beverages were in glass bottles, or metal cans. Detergents were in powder form, and came in sturdy cardboard boxes. Groceries were put into paper bags, as were all other purchases, from almost every single store/shop you went to. Larger quantities of food items sometimes came in cloth sacks (such as flour, rice and grains). Every child did not have brand new clothing all the time. Many kids got hand me down clothes, and that was actually expected. Simply put, it just saved the parents a ton of money that was used for other things. Such as, feeding the children, making sure they had medicine when it was needed, school supplies...etc., the list is almost endless. These days, this 'green movement' has gone so far as to suggest using 'un-paper' towels...and (brace yourselves) un-paper toilet tissue. Needless to say, I about keeled over when I saw this stupidity. Not only is that unsanitary, but more importantly, it's unnecessary. You know what folks from my era called 'un-paper towels'? They called the 'rags'. Furthermore, no one in their right minds would ever so much as think about using un-paper toilet tissue. They'd sooner use ripped pages out of a magazine, then use a piece of cloth that they had to wash, and re-use.
If you want to have a better understanding of how to properly recycle, go talk to someone who was born before 1970. They'll tell you everything you need to know about 'green living', because that's basically how every single person lived back then - like it, or not. This means, what? Right, it means that the main responsibility fell onto the manufacturing companies/corporations, to produce products that were contained in materials that could be 100% recycled. So...what happened? Well, as you may have guessed, with the increasing costs of production, companies had to figure out how to keep their over-head expenses lower. Cheaper plastic containers (in all forms) filled that need. As a result, nearly half a century later, the entire planet is now elbow deep in plastic garbage that is nearly impossible to get rid of. In fact, it's so impossible to get rid of, that every single piece of plastic anything will last longer than every single human, for the next few hundred years (give or take a decade here and there). So, the next time you hear an 'old person' start any sentence, or phrase, with the words 'back in my day', start listening...intently. Absorb that information. Utilize it to your benefit. Try and understand that many of us are still not capable (nor do I expect we ever will be) of wrapping our minds around this whole 'green movement'. To us, it's a simple matter of making a few changes in how things are either made, or packaged.
Now, there are some more modern 'options' for paper production, that the older generations did not utilize too well. Bamboo, for example, is an amazing alternative to using trees, especially for paper products. Hemp textiles are also a great alternative. Aside from that, with the technologies we have in today's world, there is absolutely no reason for any product to be sold in plastic anything. Folks from the Great Depression era were masters at recycling. Why? Because they had no choice. Things were either too expensive, or too scarce for them to even so much as consider taking the risk on throwing too much into the trash can. Have you ever gone into your grandpa's old barn, garage, basement or shed, and seen small jars, cans or boxes filled with everything from nuts and bolts, to nails and screws? In fact, some of the nails may have been slightly bent, or some of the screws may have been a bit worn. This is because they're used....and being kept in those containers to be used again. Remember the button box, or jar? Right, same concept. Women back then didn't go buy a bunch of buttons and throw them all into a jar. They cut the buttons off of pieces of clothing that they were recycling the fabric from. You know....rags. Not just rags, but rather....anything that could be made from cloth. Table linens, face cloths, dust rags, dish towels, wash rags, rugs, pillow cases, clothing....etc.. So when you really sit down and think about things....this whole 'green' thing isn't as green as everyone makes it out to be. Instead, it's just about a bunch of newer companies, trying to sell things that you are perfectly capable of making yourself. Think about it.
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