Whether it be refreshing water, carbonated soda, or a cold, crisp beer, having it come in a one-serving size is both a convenience and a luxury that we have grown very accustomed to.
But it comes at a cost.
So many individual bottles and cans, both plastic and glass, go from serving its very useful purpose to tossed garbage in minutes flat, and in our very disposable world mindset, we toss and go.
To be fair, when single-use bottles and cans were introduced, they solved some problems that the beverage manufacturers were having. From initial glass and stoneware (late 1800s) that were rinse and reuse, to aluminum cans that have changed in their material composition, manufacturing process, and environmental impact over the many years, and finally the invention of the plastic bottle (early 1970s) to continue striving for lightweight and disposable containers.
However, the current use of all of the above methods, in such massive quantities, (minus the stoneware) has now just become a different problem: what to do with them all. They obviously can be recycled but they can’t without action from us.
Hopefully, you have been following my Redemption Journey. Yes – it’s a thing! (or possibly an obsession). I decided I could turn my usually discarded-at-the-curb recyclables into diapers for young mothers in my area. Again, I hope this is something you have been following, but a content writer and paper deliverer here at The Messenger, PJ Balzer, and a bit of a hometown hero in the Shirley-Mastic-Moriches area makes sure that those who might be struggling a bit making ends meet have what they need. He and his wife Catherine Gutierrez focus especially on moms trying to afford diapers and formula for their babies and food for young children.
It’s just so easy to do. I quickly bypassed the $10 and the $20 mark with ease, set my sights on $50, and wrote an article or two about it. We had wonderful people donate their cans and bottles and I told Miles at One Earth Recycling to add it to my account.
We’d also like to give a huge shout out to Joseph Markowski and Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue). This past week, I had the pleasure of sending PJ $175.00 all from a few people handing bags of recyclables to Miles instead of leaving at the curb.
This is only the beginning. This journey will continue and it is my hope that more and more people will join in. We will nickname it the Diaper Brigade so no one has to remember my last name, although the original article might just be hanging on the wall inside the store as a reminder. Just hand in your recyclables – and have them label the bag for diapers! (pictured above) is PJ with some of the diapers he was able to buy with the money. He keeps different brands and sizes on hand and people know they can call on him when they are in a pinch.
Senator Dean Murray was visiting One Earth Deposits to take a tour of the business (pictured below). He is working on legislation to improve and expand how we are handling our recyclables. The Messenger will bring that information to you as it develops. Senator Murray had said he would add to our collection, so PJ and I made it a point to be there as well for a few reasons: to take the tour with the Senator and start hearing his ideas, to thank him for his generous donation, to truly thank Miles for making it so easy to do this and for having real concern for our environment, and last, to report back to you all about PJ and his new collection of diapers.
Miles of One Earth Deposits also accepts the plastic wrap that all the cans and bottles come in – there is no money for that but if he collects enough of it he can have it turned into a park bench. This would be a great civic project for any organization. He also accepts regular household batteries. Not everyone realizes this, but you should not be throwing dead batteries into the regular garbage. There is a proper way to dispose of them.
Worth mentioning, it is not lost on any of us that we are recycling cans, bottles, and glass and figuratively turning them into disposable diapers, which is also filling up the landfills.
That’s definitely another issue that requires serious consideration.
