How Do We Become More Sustainable Humans with Our Waste?
What we regularly see are trash cans conveniently emptied weekly, problem solved, right? Wrong! We don’t see daily the amount of waste, including architectural salvage, as well as, new, gently used, and functional home décor stockpiled in garbage dumps. What we don’t see are the seas of garbage in the ocean entrapping and damaging wildlife. What we don’t see are the once sandy foreign beaches now cloaked in blankets of garbage.
Awareness, Intention & Action
Oh yes, it’s a growing dismal site! Yet, awareness is growing with a flourishing number of resources at our disposal. Being intent on making sustainable choices daily is the next step. Taking action then builds the path to a new environmentally friendly future.
Most people want to do the right thing. Most people don’t want to be wasteful. It’s going to take a collective consciousness on a global scale, both on the personal and commercial levels to redirect our casual consumer and disposal disparity mindset. So what can we do today in our personal spheres of impact?
Easy Ways To Salvage - Reuse, Recycle, Upcycle, Donate
The favored route is often the path of least resistance, ergo the trash can. Right now however, you can join a social media local gifting group. If you can take a photo with your smart phone and upload it to a gifting group with a brief description, you can gift anything in your home to someone in your community. Not only that, but also, they will drive to your doorstep and pick it up. Voila, a new and easy practice that doesn’t take much extra effort! Checkout these groups:
- Buy Nothing Project - Buy Nothing on Facebook
- Green Bee Group on Facebook
With a little effort, donation boxes or drop off sites require you to load your car and deliver items to a nearby location. Some companies will however pick up your salvage for free. You will need to internet search for the following resources in your area, or ask on social media community groups:
- Consignment Stores
- Architectural Salvage Stores
- Vintage Stores & Markets
- Yard Sales
- Flea Markets
- Thrift Stores – Including independent local community church charities and:
- The Salvation Army – Schedule a pick up.
- Savers/ Value Village
- Goodwill
Sell Your Stuff!
Want or need to make some money? There are many apps and programs in which you can turn your unwanted items into cash. To name a few:
- OfferUp
- Facebook Marketplace
- Craigslist
- Buy Sell Trade, Sell and Swap, or Barter groups on Facebook
We Are Not Alone on Sustainability and Salvage
It will take a little more effort of your part to repurpose unwanted items, however, if we are to thrive as a species while supporting our planet, we must rise together with intentional choices. Our future generations depend on our efforts to choose salvage and sustainability. Besides, there are plenty of people who do need what you have to offer.
If you don’t believe we are in this crisis, take the time to educate yourself on issues like garbage island, also known as the Great Pacific garbage patch. Checkout the statistics on waste dumped. Help be part of the solution, not the problem.
Fortunately, individual consumers are not alone. As we do our part, companies like ReCapturit are working on the biggest contributor to landfills, construction waste. They are developing networking resources that provide a hub for developers, interior designers, construction and deconstruction companies, and architectural salvage to resell, repurpose, and buy building materials and products. As a growing and exclusive online marketplace for architectural salvage, they are integral part of the disruptive influx of options to make this world a more sustainable place.
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Brit-Simone Kneeland blogs about holistic living at OrganicLivingDiva.com. Follow ReCapturit on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. |
