Resolution 2011 Reduce Reuse and Recycle

If you're someone who likes to make New Years resolutions, here's one that worth sticking to. Learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle in NYC. The Lower East Side Ecology Center is just the place to show you how.  Their mission is to work towards a sustainable New York City. If you're like me, you cringe every time you see the curbs full of garbage that could and should be recycled, and transformed into something else.  I've seen far too many garbage trucks filled with easy recyclable items heading to landfill because so many citizens of this amazing city can't be bothered.  The city is growing and with it a huge amount of construction creating vast amounts of waste. There should be a comprehensive plan to reduce, reuse and recycle the tons of construction debris leaving sites heading for burial and not rebirth. And why is it that office buildings having the lion share of waste are not mandated to recycle?

Funny how another term for garbage is refuse, is it because we refuse to accept our responsibility for dealing with our own excessive waste? Why are we so apathetic? Waste has to got to go somewhere, and in the city we cart it away making grotesque toxic mountains in a whole lot of someone else's back yards. Or it's shipped onto floating barges to nowhere-and if some "accidentally" gets dumped into the sea, who's being held accountable? Garbage costs the city=us so much. We waste with our waste. But wait, there's money in them thar hills and garbage islands floating off the starboard bow!

The city's waste should be revenue based. It's a mountain of a challenge (pun intended) but we have to be up to the task, because sooner or later we'll come to our collective senses and see the value in making our city landfill free.

Here's one action to start the New Year: learn how, where and when you can recycle your e-waste. Make it a point to collect your junk together and instead of easily dumping onto your sidewalk, take a tiny bit more time and take your stuff to one of the listed e-waste locations. Feel good about being part of the solution.

The Ecology Center offers free public compost collection and education, electronic waste recycling, stewardship of public open space, and environmental education. Their programs focus on offering opportunities for all New Yorkers to learn about environmental issues facing NYC and to take responsibility for solving those problems.

So here's to the resolution to think before you throw away, and my bet you'll have a better time sticking to this resolution than giving up chocolate and you'll feel much better for it.