While Recycling for some towns might not be cost effective... personal recycling can and does save $

While I understand some peoples arguments against recycling because it can cost more then just land filling or burning (burning is recycling in a final way), I can't say I agree with Elliot about recycling over all.

See Elliots article /viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976781406  

It may not pay to recycle as a town or city (though cities have stuff enough to make some $ from recycling) it does make sense to recycle personally.  It has been done for generations on the farms of the world and America. I open a #10 can of some food item I have stored. I use the food then I paint or maybe not the can. Then I use that can for nail holding, or as my feeding can for the chickens and for the dog and for the rabbits... Also the smaller cans like beans etc or corn, can also be used for nail bolts and pencil holders craft supplies holders etc. I know many people would buy plastic or some "cute" holder for pencils, but I for one believe in the idea of Stewardship.  Stewardship is the idea that what I have is only given to me to use and protect for just a little while and then to pass it on to another steward... I am not an "environmentalist" as we find in the news papers because most of those organizations are self serving instruments of politics etc... Not true stewards of the planet. But I feel , and LOGIC compels me to not be wasteful of what I have been given. Weather that be paper pencil or metal or tree or ground or life or time... all are gifts, I am blessed to have and as a Wise steward it behooves me to do the best I can with what I have before I use energy or supplies to make something new. The old Yankee Adage, "Use it up, Where it out, Make it do, or do without..." is what I was taught by my father and his ancestors, many of them farmers and even a few of them Lawyers. Also a mentor of mine taught me a long time ago; "work smarter not harder" so not being wasteful is less work then wastefulness etc.

Other examples? Well plastics are made from petroleum products and can last a good long time. SO if we don't waste them we don't need more of them to be made from foreign oil…

SO save those cool whip containers, and the soda bottles, I sue the soda bottles for the watering of the animals. one three little coke bottle can water all three dogs in the morning, and then again at noon and again at night... and it didn't cost me any $ or time to have it around, it just took a sec to stop myself from tossing it out when I was done with the soda. And cool whip containers with a lid are great for those small often easy to spill things like pins or buttons or even keeping my spare change in.

Bottles are another thing, glass I mean. You can use for all the same things as cans etc except they have lids that can be useful also.  They can be used as extra cups… I have kids so they dirty cups fast… and My children have used them for potting small plants and for sand sculpture and for pencil holders and for hair pin holders…

I know in a world of plenty many many people will find this mode of thinking to be outdated or silly in there minds but that is because they are spoiled by the largess of our societies ability to make things etc… Some people don't like the Chinese making all our products, so be careful with what you have now so that you may buy less and we can import less from abroad… It just doesn't make sense to be wasteful intentionally or through foolish habits…