I am a garbage picker, on occasion you see. I even sometimes like to think of myself as a trash hero.
The plant
The other day I was walking by the garbage bin in my apartment complex and saw this nice brightly color poinsettia plant just sitting ever so nicely on top of the trash. I looked around to see if the person who left it was still around, but they were gone. I am pretty sure you know where this story is going so I won’t drag it on too much.
I ran all the groceries and my daughter into the house, so I could have my hands free to save the plant.
J.P: “Where are you going?”
Me: “To save a plant, obviously”
J.P: “Of course you are” <sigh>
I grabbed the plant, saw a man and he looked at me funny – nothing new there. I brought it up stairs, placed it outside my door, gave it some water and am watching it grow.
If it dies on me, which is a huge possibility seeing as I am cursed with a brown thumb, I figure I will be able to compost it at the very least. I am happy to report it is still alive, but it is time to bring this guy inside because it is getting cold out there.
And you see this is how I got a free plant and diverted it from life in a landfill.
The bottles
I love kombucha- like really love it. I drink one every other day in a nice glass bottle. Even though they can be recycled, I feel like I should be minimizing my kombucha purchases because it sorta goes against Project Green Foot.
How can I have my kombucha and drink it too?
Of course! I had two great ideas:
- I use them as water bottles-perfect.
- I use them for storage. Chickpeas, nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, quinoa all fit great in my bottles.
And this is how I saved my kombucha bottles from being crushed into tiny pieces near death.
Any other ideas of what I could possibly do with my glass bottles?
What have you saved from being sent to a landfill or recycling plant?
compost, garbage, plant, trash, trash collecting, waste
I am the Good Girl Gone Green. Seeing garbage cans overflowing with recyclables breaks my heart.
You are the green version of green Wonder Woman! Saving plants, bottles and other items from being sent to a landfill before their time. I love hearing about all the small things you do that make such a big difference.
Thanks, Lori! I could live with being called the green wonder woman LOL! Maybe I shall make a cap out of old t-shirts or blankets?
I think “Green Wonder Woman” fits you nicely! I love that you’re using those bottles for other things. I started doing that because, in addition to not wanting to toss them in the landfill, I found that dry products draw bugs in the summer around here so … the bottles keep them protected.
I’m a plant savior as well … it breaks my heart to see a plant sitting next to the trash bin. Typically, all it needs is a little trimming and TLC. My apartment is filled with saved plants.
And they thank me by cleaning my air and providing a beautiful ambiance. My neighbors are so used to seeing me save plants that now, they save me the trouble … every once in awhile I get a knock at the door with a neighbor who has a plant in need. I love it!
Have a great weekend!
Thanks!! Thats so funny that they now bring you the plants instead of throwing them out! You are a green superhero as well saving plants one knock at a time! You go girl!
Wow our husbands should be friends so they can vent to each other about the “crazy” things their wives do. The other day he was sweeping the garage but stopped him because there were some tiny plastic pieces, he sighed and said “well no one can call you a hypocrite.” He then got a vacuum and vacuumed them up instead of sweeping them outside.
I also rescued a rollie pollie that had made it’s way inside, this bug rescuing no longer fazes my husband haha.
LOL! ou crack me up, Lisa!
Bravo Steph!
Lou and I saved a beautiful wing chair chair the other day from being crushed and put in a landfill. It is heavy and sturdy with nice wood feet. All it needs is reupholstering. Amazing what people throw out.
That is so great, MG!!!
I LOVE the idea of storing dry goods in glass jars! Mason jars would be great for this too- and so much cheaper than buying storage jars! You could even decorate them cute if you were feeling crafty. Great post!
I use old jars as well! I am not very crafty, sadly!
I’ve saved a few plants myself! Including ones that now drive me crazy!
I love your blog and read every post even if I don’t comment, (I usually try too), and I am here asking you and your readers for some help of the green variety. Please check out my newest blog about the soon to come fracking that our government wants to start just outside of the town I live in:
http://www.mywarpedworld.blogspot.com
Thanks!
Great! Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate it.
I have been reusing glass bottles and jars to store bulk bin purchases instead of purchasing glass storage containers. I love how your bottles are all the same size and shape.
Aren’t glass jars and bottles just fabulous?
Hi! I saw your blog as a feature on Monday’s Blog Hop and it’s great! Maybe I can become greener now. =)
I would just like to point out, really quick, that you can in fact make your own kombucha. Unfortunately, I don’t have a recipe in front of me (and I don’t know how homemade compares with storebought) and I’ve never had it–I just know my cookbook Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon does have a kombucha recipe if you’re interested.