With the introduction of the new food scrap composting program in Portland, I've been reassessing what else can be recycled in our house. Granted, it is always far better to reduce consumption and reuse things. But recycling is better than not recycling, so there we go.
This morning, I took in my plastic bags and film, as well as rigid plastics not recyclable in the curbside program. The recycling company reorganized and relabeled their bins making it more clear what is recyclable and what is not. Specifically, I've wondered what plastic bags are recyclable and which ones aren't. After much online research, I've found that the best test is if you can stretch the bag (grocery bag, dry cleaning bag, bubble wrap), it's recyclable. An exception to this rule is that plastic packaging prepackaged food products (including frozen foods) cannot be recycled. This means chip bags and cereal bag liners which I'd been inappropriately lumping into this category.
So then I tried to find another place that will take chip bags, cereal lines, etc. That seems to be a bust, so the best thing to do with those is to find another use for them before tossing them in the garbage. There are several sites with suggestions, but I know I won't use them for wax paper for food. I'm not a germaphobe by any stretch, but I like to know for sure that anything I'm setting food for consumption on is not contaminated. The best I've come up with, in terms of what *I* will realistically reuse cereal bags for, is for crafting purposes. It can be used as a liner when you're doing some glueing and want to protect a table or whatever. I'll give this a whirl, but if I find I just can't get a good system down for reuse, then I'll have to let the cereal bags hit the landfill. Ironically, they're not even my cereal bags since I very rarely eat boxed cereal. They're from D's morning granola. And, just in case there are any readers who suggest we could make our own granola or buy bulk to avoid this problem, no we can't. D has exactly one brand of granola he likes; within that brand, he has exactly one flavor he likes. We have tried many, many other types and he never finishes a single one. I'm just happy he eats breakfast since he didn't do that before we met.
I also feel more confident that the rigid plastics container takes all of the items I've been putting in it. This is where we have a large volume that previously went to trash. Clam shell packaging, the plastic packaging on toys or batteries, lids from tubs or bottles, etc.
We currently have the smallest garbage can that is provided by the program and we still aren't filling it full every other week. I'm going to wait a few months to see if I can reduce our trash pickup to once per month. This would only save us $8.90 per month, but for me it's more about achieving once-a-month garbage pick up.
Avery Updates
Avery is officially able to write her name now. She's been able to do A V E for several months, but now the R and the Y kicked in.
Also recent is her heightened interest in doing crafty things. At school for the past week, she's been at the craft/writing station every time I've picked her up. Prior to this she's always been over on the rug playing with toys or listening to books. Her teacher also said she has almost predominately been into playing and moving around until recently when she is starting to show more interest in crafty things. This week she's been making envelopes and invitations for her BD party (note: they look nothing like invitation or envelopes, but that's what she says she's doing).
The reward/token board I made seems to be having a more definitive impact on her action. The other charts certainly worked, but the idea that she'd not get a ticket/flower didn't seem to have much impact on her decision to do or not do something. The newness of the token has an impact such that I can tell her if she continues asking questions after I've put her to bed, then she won't get a token the next morning. This results in her stopping her questions/talking and either go to sleep or entertain herself until she is ready to go to sleep.
For the past several months, it has become uncommon for us to tell Avery it's time to go to bed. Typically about 7 pm or just before, she'll look at D and I and say, "I"m ready for nighttime now," then we head up to bed. That getting her to go to bed isn't a battle is something I'm eternally grateful for. She only goes to sleep shortly after 7 if she hasn't a nap that day. If she's had a nap, we typically read books, brush her teeth, and kiss her goodnight about 7:30 and she "reads" or plays quietly in her room for 30-45 minutes after that.
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