I like to recycle, and I do it consciously, but for some time now I've felt that recycling isn't the only solution to the amount of garbage we sadly find all over the world.
For several years now my goal has not been to recycle more, but to buy less, reuse more and recycle well.
These are some of the things I'm already doing at home to recycle less, but take better care of the environment.
Fewer clothes, but better quality: Good quality clothing is considerably more expensive than clothing designed for a single season. However, I get many more uses out of a quality garment, so the cost per use is significantly lower. I have several items in my closet that are over a decade old—and I think I'm already quite fashionable, although I'm sure no one will vote me best-dressed at any party, which I don't care about.
The key is to buy quality garments in versatile cuts that you can wear year after year, and take good care of them so that they actually last a long time.
I also have new clothes in my wardrobe, but I'm increasingly picky about buying those I'll use a lot, and made from more environmentally friendly materials: organic cotton, recycled fibers...
Clothes I no longer want for whatever reason, I donate, and if they're damaged, I take them to be recycled. I also have no problem giving my clothes, or my children's, to my friends and receiving them in return. More than one person has complimented me when I wear a skirt my sister gave me five years ago, which she had worn for five years before that.
More bulk products, less packaging: Whenever possible, I buy food in bulk and bring my own containers. It's a pretty simple way to use fewer resources, and one that wasn't so long ago the norm in Spain.
When I was little and worked many Saturdays in the Atocha store, we sold honey and pollen in bulk, and the vast majority of our customers brought their own containers, because we sold the glass jar we had.
I like to shop at markets where they sell in bulk and/or without packaging , and bring my own cloth bags - both the large one to take everything home, and small ones for fruits and vegetables.
Modern Antiques: Several of the pieces in my house are secondhand, bought or inherited, and modernized by me. I'm a creative person and have always enjoyed crafts; I also like the idea of having solid furniture with character that bears my signature .
Even if you're not handy, I assure you that you can find wonderful things in antique shops or even in your grandparents' attic. If you prefer to buy something new, remember that quality is better than quantity, and if a piece of furniture only lasts two years, no matter how cheap it is, it's costing you more in the long run.
Stop throwing away food: Although this is something I can still improve on, I have a great example, since my sister doesn't waste any food.
To avoid wasting food, the first thing you have to do is buy only what you need and no more. The second is to use up all the leftovers, just like our grandmothers did. I don't know how to make croquettes from stew (I'm all about using up leftovers), but I do add a lot of leftover vegetables to tomato sauce to make homemade pizzas, and I bake cake with the leftover roasted sweet potatoes that nobody wanted.
Throwing away food seems incredibly sad to me for many reasons, but looking at it solely from an environmental perspective, the amount of resources used to bring food to our homes means that throwing it away is truly sad.
Besides that, I can count on my fingers the number of times we get takeout in a year. Not only is it not as healthy as the food I cook, but the amount of packaging needed to bring it home drives me crazy.
More glass, metal and fabric, less paper and plastic: The Tupperware containers in my house are made of glass, the bags we take snacks to when we go to the park and the napkins are made of fabric, I don't use plastic or aluminum foil to store things in the fridge - glass lunchboxes, or even one plate on top of another, are enough for me.
When my son turned one, we gave him a stainless steel bottle with an adapted spout, which he still uses—with a regular spout—six years later. At home, we get filtered water straight from the fridge, and before going out to do anything, we refill our water bottles.
Again, this isn't so unusual; I remember filling my metal canteen with green lining the night before going on a hike when I was in primary school.
My friends, not all of whom are environmentally conscious, ask me if I miss some of the conveniences. I've sometimes thought it would be easier if I could just throw everything away instead of washing and reusing, but the truth is, I generally don't miss plastic. And when I see how quickly my recycling piles up—packaging, paper, and cardboard—it motivates me even more to keep looking for ways to use less and take better care of the environment.
These are some of the things we do at home; there are more, but many others that we haven't yet managed to incorporate into our routine. The good thing is that everyone here is aware of the situation, and my children are the first to remind us to turn off the lights or close the tap.
I'd love to know what you think about these ways of not recycling, and how you lead a sustainable life.