2. You Ignore or Forget About Recyclables
A second sign that recyclables are causing you trouble is that you make an effort to ignore them. When you put your collection in a drawer, cabinet or garage, you don’t have to look at it, and consequently don’t have to think about it.
Mary accumulates plastic grocery bags in the cabinet above her refrigerator. Photo: Mary Mazzoni, Earth911
Mary Mazzoni, another Earth911 staff writer, is guilty of this tactic. Mazzoni has been collecting plastic grocery bags since February when she moved into a new apartment. She usually brings reusable bags with her to the supermarket, but often doesn’t bring enough and ends up needing to use plastic ones, too. Then those plastic ones join the others in her kitchen. “Sometimes it’s bothersome because they’ll fall on me,” Mazzoni said. She recently moved the collection to a larger cabinet.
This policy of ignoring recyclables makes it easy to forget about them. “I never remember to take the growing pile of bags to the store with me and it becomes easier to just put them in the cabinet,” Mazzoni said.
The good thing about plastic bags, though, is they are pretty simple to recycle, since many grocery stores provide take-back bins near their entryways or checkouts.
A recent National Reach Study determined there are over 15,000 drop-off locations nationwide for plastic bags. Since the average American family takes home 1,500 plastic bags per year, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, it’s worth finding your nearest drop-off option so those bags don’t end up taking over your kitchen or in a landfill.
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