Creation Care Mom

Ever since the invention of plastic we have been told that recycling is the answer for our ever increasing waste. We’ve gotten really good at making plastics. A man-made product that never completely breaks down in nature. The particles simply get smaller until we can not see them with our eye. It’s sterile nature is beneficial for medical applications, but it has also replaced both paper and glass in every day packaging. It’s made our cars lighter and more fuel efficient. It is literally impossible to go even an hour without touching or using plastic in our day to day life.

When we talk about creation care, or climate change, or earth friendly actions, almost everyone thinks of recycling first. As a kid my first exposure was the phrase, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, but the focus leaned heavy on recycling. We have been so steeped in media that says, “Recycling is the #1 way you can help!” or “Your actions matter, Recycle!”

THIS is A LIE!

Yes, recycling can be helpful, especially for metal and glass products. But plastic recycling has many problems.

Plastic producers have placed the burden of dealing with plastic waste on the consumer or the city/county. They produce plastics and move on. Never to be held accountable for the plastic again. They do not fund recycling, and they are not required to deal with the plastic waste when it’s useful life is over. Recycling systems are funded at the local level if they exist at all. They are inefficient because of lack of education on recyclable materials. Plastics that are “recycled” aren’t the same quality as virgin plastic and so cannot be used in the same applications. Recycling plastic is a way to reuse them, but eventually the quality degrades beyond use.

Additionally, because oil used for plastic is so cheap it is difficult to find a market for those recycled plastics. Manufacturers can buy virgin plastic at the same or lesser cost. Without consumer or government incentives they have no reason to use recycled materials.

So the fact is that much “recycling” that gets picked up does end up in the dump. This can be disheartening for those trying to do the right thing. Remember the media? It’s telling us recycling is the answer! Depressed, we wonder why we bother. Is there anything we can do?

YES!

The media lied. Imagine that.

Recycling is an absolutely minimal slice of the creation care pie. There are actually so many actions on the personal level that have a much greater impact. Here is a list of examples:

1. Waste less food/Eat your leftovers/Plan ahead
2. Replace beef with chicken or pork
3. Plant a Garden
4. Turn food scraps to compost
5. Carpool
6. Walk, cycle, or use public transit
7. Install LEDs
8. Use Low flow fixtures
9. Change your thermostat settings (colder in winter, warmer in summer)
10. TALK About it! Get involved at the local level

The creation care pie is huge with many more actions. Project Drawdown has a comprehensive list of solutions from local to global. Or you can check out one of many apps that help track your progress. The one I currently have downloaded is called Earth Hero.

It’s important to not get bogged down with the inefficiencies of a single solution, but to remember that creation care is a lifestyle. Our every decision, our every interaction with the world, is a climate decision. Everything we do is a vote for the world we want to live in.