Envirnmental....'ness'

[King Butter Turtle]

So, I need a bunch of people to take this quick survey on disposable products, so I can write a paper on on the results for a really stupid geography assignment. If you could just post your answers here, that would be awesome!

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis?
Durable products: (for example: CDs, pens, books, combs, appliances, etc.)

Disposable products: (for example: shampoo, fast food containers, toothpaste, plastic packaging, juice boxes, razors, plastic bags, etc.)


2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? (for example: reusable canvas bags rather than plastic or paper ones, unpackaged products versus packaged ones, washable dishes rather than disposable ones)

3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them?

4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community?
Yes ____ No _____

5. Do you recycle the following items?

aluminum____
glass ______
plastic_____
paper______

6. How often do you buy clothes? (how many items per week, month or year)

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? (Are you conscious of fashion, etc.? Be specific.)

8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore?

Also, completely unrelated to my paper, John Stossel for the win!

[The Top Crusader]

I seriously want to help out but I honestly don't pay any attention to number of "x" I buy in a given period of time.

I will say that I don't recycle anything. I used to, because we had a seperate bin for aluminum cans, etc, but where we live now we just have a big dumpster... and I don't feel like keeping a bag of old cans around to take to a recycling plant when it gets full.

[Laura Ingalls]

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis?
Durable products: (for example: CDs, pens, books, combs, appliances, etc.)

Disposable products: (for example: shampoo, fast food containers, toothpaste, plastic packaging, juice boxes, razors, plastic bags, etc.)

I don't buy anything on a weekly basis. My PARENTS buy groceries every week...so that's pretty disposable.

2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? (for example: reusable canvas bags rather than plastic or paper ones, unpackaged products versus packaged ones, washable dishes rather than disposable ones)

Sometimes. Right now I'm sewing cloth diapers for the future so that I won't being using disposables! Does that count?
My mom was just talking about maybe switching to cloth napkins to cut down on buying those. We used to eat on real plates a lot more often, but we've mostly been using paper for awhile now. I wouldn't mind switching back, myself.

3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them?

Throw them in the trash.

4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community?
Yes _____ No _____

Yes...don't participate though.

5. Do you recycle the following items?

aluminum____
glass ______
plastic_____
paper______

Nope. We bring everything to the dump. OH! Except we have started taking our plastic Wal-Mart bags back to the store and recycling them there.

6. How often do you buy clothes? (how many items per week, month or year)

I don't buy clothes too often - normally get 2-3 items for Christmas.

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? (Are you conscious of fashion, etc.? Be specific.)

Nice quality, pretty, and modest. I don't keep up with current fashions at all.

8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore?

Either hand down to younger friends or use as household rags or give to Goodwill.

[Dr Ninja]

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis?
Durable products: Nothing usually

Disposable products: Pop Cans, and Plastic Cups, and Paper bags


2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? No I do Not.

3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them? Throw them in the trash.

4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community?
Yes ____ No __X___

5. Do you recycle the following items?

aluminum - NO
glass - NO
plastic - NO
paper - NO

6. How often do you buy clothes? I usually buy clothes once a year. sometimes up to 3 times per year.

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? When my clothes I have are worn out.

8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore? I throw them away because they have holes and are unwearable.

[Oba-rai]

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis?
Durable products: (for example: CDs, pens, books, combs, appliances, etc.)

None that I know of.

Disposable products: (for example: shampoo, fast food containers, toothpaste, plastic packaging, juice boxes, razors, plastic bags, etc.)

Fast food containers, maybe, plastic bags if I go to the store. We really don't buy things every week. Food gets bought once every 2-3 weeks.

2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? (for example: reusable canvas bags rather than plastic or paper ones, unpackaged products versus packaged ones, washable dishes rather than disposable ones)

Yes, we get reusable products.

3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them?

Well, toilet paper is obviously disposed.. tissues too but we don't buy tissues.

4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community?

Yes.

5. Do you recycle the following items?

No.

6. How often do you buy clothes? (how many items per week, month or year)

Maybe we go get something once or so every couple of months.

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? (Are you conscious of fashion, etc.? Be specific.)

IF PANTS FIT

8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore?

Give them to people or give them to the Salvation Army. Or sew them into flags. Or sails.

[Renata]

.....

[Anna><>]

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis?
My mom buys everything and I don't know what she buys.


2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? (for example: reusable canvas bags rather than plastic or paper ones, unpackaged products versus packaged ones, washable dishes rather than disposable ones)
My mom uses these bins when she grocery shops so she doesn't need to use bags. And also we use washable dishes, never disposable ones.

3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them?
With plastic bags I bring them home and my mom reuses them. And with disposable spoons we use them like 20 times unless they get lost.

4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community?
Yes __X__ No _____

5. Do you recycle the following items?

aluminum__X__
glass ______
plastic__X__
paper__X___

6. How often do you buy clothes? (how many items per week, month or year)
Like a shirt a month and 3 pairs of second hand jeans at the beginning of each school year. I only buy new shirts because if you buy shirts second hand they're usually worn out.

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? (Are you conscious of fashion, etc.? Be specific.)
I buy brand name t-shirts, or pretty fashionable shirts for church and recitals etc. And all my jeans, even though they're second hand, are still brand name jeans.

8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore?
Salvation Army or my little sister get them.

[Skid]

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis?
Durable products: (for example: CDs, pens, books, combs, appliances, etc.)
Maybe one or two things a month, depending if I really need it or not.

Disposable products: (for example: shampoo, fast food containers, toothpaste, plastic packaging, juice boxes, razors, plastic bags, etc.)
The usual stock of food and groceries. Mostly in raw materials form or in bulk so they don't need as much packaging but more preparation.

2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? (for example: reusable canvas bags rather than plastic or paper ones, unpackaged products versus packaged ones, washable dishes rather than disposable ones)
Generally, yes.

3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them?
Throw them away, or burn them.

4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community?
Yes, but don't use them.

5. Do you recycle the following items?

aluminum No
glass Nope
plastic Nope
paper We burn it in the stove, does that count?

6. How often do you buy clothes? (how many items per week, month or year)
Maybe twice a year, probably five or six outfits a year total.

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? (Are you conscious of fashion, etc.? Be specific.)
When I find out that I have nothing left without holes in them I go and find the first and cheapest available clothes without graphics/logos/images printed on them. Usually in colours that will match anything else in my collection. I don't appreciate paying money to provide advertising for any companies.

8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore?
Relegate them to the rag bin. When I don't want them anymore, nobody does.

[KODY 105]

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? (Are you conscious of fashion, etc.? Be specific.)
When I find out that I have nothing left without holes in them I go and find the first and cheapest available clothes without graphics/logos/images printed on them. Usually in colours that will match anything else in my collection. I don't appreciate paying money to provide advertising for any companies.

May I quote this last sentence of yours? That is a profound nugget of truth-- appropriate for a bumper sticker according to Nick Mulligan!

[31899]

Not very many.

I already use them.

I check if they are recyclable.

Yes

aluminum Yes
glass Yes
plastic Yes
paper Yes


If my clothing is broken, then it is time to buy new clothing.

Whenever needed, or I find a set of combats I likes. When I do buy cloths, they must be normal, not look like they have been worn, and I check to see where it is made.

Give them to ODH

31899

[Sherlock]

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis?
Durable products: (for example: CDs, pens, books, combs, appliances, etc.)

I don't buy these things on a weekly basis, monthly or semi-monthly perhaps? Yearly?

Disposable products: (for example: shampoo, fast food containers, toothpaste, plastic packaging, juice boxes, razors, plastic bags, etc.)

Shampoo/toothpaste/razors etc perhaps every few months? I buy food every other week or so and usually it is sold in some form of packaging.

2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? (for example: reusable canvas bags rather than plastic or paper ones, unpackaged products versus packaged ones, washable dishes rather than disposable ones)

I have reusable grocery bags because the grocery store gives you credit over time as an incentive to use them. The other stores tend to just charge you to use their plastic bags (thus, supposedly, forcing you to bring your own). And I use washable dishes.

3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them?

Recycle or dispose of them, depending on what they are.

4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community?

Recycling is mandatory in my community, haha.

5. Do you recycle the following items?

As per city mandate, there are 4 bins in the kitchen: 1 for paper and hard plastics recycling, 1 for glass, 1 for food scraps and 1 for general non-recyclable waste. There are corresponding bins outside plus one for garden (bio) waste.

Basically I recycle whatever I can because the general waste is collected so infrequently that if you don't recycle you'll be up to your ears in garbage.

6. How often do you buy clothes? (how many items per week, month or year)

Every few months or so? It doesn't really have a schedule.

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? (Are you conscious of fashion, etc.? Be specific.)

I'm about equally conscious of price and fashion. And by fashion I mean "stuff that I think looks good."

8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore?

Salvation Army usually or whatever charity drops off those bags at the house.

[King Butter Turtle]

Awesome! I have to have at least eight, which is exaclty how many I got. Thanks everbody!

[Skid]

May I quote this last sentence of yours? That is a profound nugget of truth-- appropriate for a bumper sticker according to Nick Mulligan!

Be my guest, though I'm not entirely certain that the line is original. A credit of "anonymous" is sufficient.

[Taq]

My mom was just talking about maybe switching to cloth napkins to cut down on buying those.

YES. Our family switched to cloth napkins in the past several month and now we don't need to buy any regular napkins. We get those every now and them when people go out to eat and have extra.

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis? <1 per week.
2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? Yes.
3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them? Either toss, reuse, or recycle.
4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community? Yes.
5. Do you recycle the following items? Yes to all.
6. How often do you buy clothes? Few times a year?
7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? I like it, fits, reasonably priced.
8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore? Give them to Mom. She either saves them for my sister or gives them away (thrift shop, Goodwill/Salvation Army pickup, etc.). If the item is really unusable, e.g. a sock with a huge hole, we'll use it as a rag and then throw it away.

Overall, we are a very "green" family.

• Turn off the lights, turn off the computer monitor when not in use
• Print double-sided
• Use heat/AC modestly
• Cloth napkins
• Water-saving sink/shower heads + short showers
• Garden a little, throw eggshells in the garden
• Reuse lunchboxes, grocery bags, water bottles, twist ties, aluminum foil
• Reuse plastic containers (e.g. the ones you get from Chinese carry out) x50 or however long they last before getting cracked
• Recycle everything that can be recycled including ice cream cartons
• Buy as little packaged food as possible
• Etc.

I will note that saving the environment or being a good steward of what God's given us is not always the main motivator. A lot of the times we do it to save money, or to improve health (in the case of using stairs instead of elevators and trying to stay away from a lot of packaged foods).

[Elf of Rivendell]

1. What types and amounts of products do you buy on a weekly basis?
Durable products: (for example: CDs, pens, books, combs, appliances, etc.)

None, really, unless it's the week before school. During which I'll buy textbooks and school supplies.

Disposable products: (for example: shampoo, fast food containers, toothpaste, plastic packaging, juice boxes, razors, plastic bags, etc.)

Every couple of weeks.

2. Do you consider buying alternatives to disposable products? (for example: reusable canvas bags rather than plastic or paper ones, unpackaged products versus packaged ones, washable dishes rather than disposable ones)

Sometimes.

3. What do you do with disposable products when you are finished with them?

Throw them away. I do reuse some disposable products - like boxes and plastic bags.

4. Are you aware of opportunities for recycling in your community?

No.

5. Do you recycle the following items?

aluminum____
glass ______
plastic_____
paper______

6. How often do you buy clothes? (how many items per week, month or year)

Not very often. I seem to manage to get clothes without having to buy them.

7. How do you decide which clothes to buy? (Are you conscious of fashion, etc.? Be specific.)

How it fits, colour, style/how good it looks.

8. What do you do with clothes you don't want anymore?

Give them away, either to people I know or to charity organizations.

[Josef1004]

I recycle my own stuff. I use tea bag envelopes for note cards and I compost the used tea bags. I also pick up bags of leaves from peoples' front yards and dump the leaves out of them and use them for garbage bags instead of buying new garbage bags.