You Can Learn A Lot From A Recycling Bin

Friday October 16, 2009

As I have reported before, in excruciating detail, I have been harassed into exercising more by a group of my much younger friends who have no respect for my advanced age. I have tried to get my walk in earlier and earlier before they have a chance to find me and make me go with them. I didn't want anyone urging me to walk faster, go further, etc. I thought I needed to slowly increase my speed. However, the other day I found my motivation to pick up the pace. It was the recycling truck. It was fascinating to see what my neighbors had left out for recycling. Wine bottles, beer cans, and junk food OH MY!

I didn't intend to be so noisy. I was just walking, okay maybe strolling along, one morning when I happen to see a recycling bin stuffed with items which in no way matched what I knew about the family living at this address. There in the recycling bin of Mrs. Organic Vegetarian Healthy was the packaging from a jumbo box of burgers (and I am not talking tofu or even turkey). I paused to retie my tennis shoe by their bin and observed that processed sugars and fatty foods were no stranger to this household. Then I heard the rumble of the recycling truck headed my way. I quickly resumed my walk and viewing of the curbside bins. I finished my walk ahead of the truck and in record time.

One observation I made is that people need to save some of the plastic and glass containers they are recycling for the emergency storage of water. During natural disasters everyone should have 6 gallons of water per person per week stored. There should also be clean water saved for the pets. It takes a lot of containers to store this much water. The containers need to be prepared prior to an emergency while an abundant clean water source is still available. You should save water, juice, soda, and punch containers. Do not use milk containers because there could be harmful bacteria in the dried milk. The procedure for cleaning the containers is:

1. Wash the inside and outside of the containers with hot soapy water.
2. Rinse.
3. Prepare a sanitizing solution of one-half teaspoon of household bleach per pint of water.
4. Rinse containers with the sanitizing solution,
5. Rinse a final time with clean water.

If you have all the containers saved and prepared prior to any emergency it is an easy task to fill them with the necessary precious water quickly.

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com