Recycling is Sexy

^Well thats not actually what this post is about, but it made you click on it!

For this blog post, I would like to share a recent experience with you all. Just yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend of mine (who wishes to remain anonymous) but let’s call her Sarah.

Meet Sarah:

Well, thats not actually Sarah, but we can pretend.

Just yesterday, I watched Sarah dispose of perfectly receivable material in a waste bin, and I have to say I was shocked, after all, she even knows that I’m trying to ban single use plastics and encouraging recycling and reuse… Like if there’s anyone you’re going to recycle in front of, it’s probably me. So it sparked a conversation between us about why, why she didn’t recycle it, why she doesn’t bring reusable materials with her and why in her opinion, more people don’t.

Her answers revealed a lot that is probably true of many in our society. Why she didn’t recycle? Well there simply wasn’t a recycling bin in a convenient distance, which I suppose was true, and I do believe that there aren’t enough recycling bins on our streets. Waste bins are everywhere, but where recycling is more difficult it’s very easy for recyclable material to be wasted.

Sure, not all coffee cups are recyclable, but, since Sarah purchases a take away coffee every day… why not bring a reusable coffee cup? Well, Sarah said she felt awkward going to a coffee shop and asking them to make her order in her own cup. Sarah said she felt like there is a sort of underlying social stigma against it, like it would make her seem “like one of those tree huggers, you know”. This I had a problem with, not a problem with Sarah, because she is just following society, but more so a problem with our society itself. It should not be considered uncool to care about the environment. I understand that there are people that chain themselves to trees and other more extreme measures, and I can also understand not wanting to join them, but something as simple as diligently recycling and bringing a reusable coffee cup or cutlery should just be considered socially and environmentally responsible.

It should be cool to look after our planet.

Perhaps something needs to set the trend, for instance more coffee shops should encourage bringing your own reusable cup through a promotion (I’m sure some already do!), whether it be a simple sign by the counter to encourage people to bring one, an outright discount or a free size upgrade…

And really, how CHIC are those?! Um hello, who would want a boring take away cup anyway

I know what your thinking: This has nothing to do with straws… but it does. Straws are part of the same family – single use plastics. Our fight against straws is a fight for the environment, a grassroots level of fighting against man made single use items that have the potential to harm the environment or the creatures within it.

What’s your opinion? Like Sarah, does a social stigma prevent you from being more Eco-friendly?