Here are five ways to recycle this newspaper by Laura Holloway
They say today’s news is tomorrow’s waste paper, and that saying has never been truer than it is today. Did you know the average person throws away about 4.6 pounds of trash every single day? Today, we are putting approximately 230 million tons of trash into landfills every year. There’s a word for that: gross. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this fine piece of literature you are currently holding in your hands could end up as part of that disgusting rubbish number if you toss it into the trash can when you’re finished reading.
But, wait! You have the chance to make a difference. Imagine for a moment that when this newspaper woke up in the printing room that it aspired to be something so much better than garbage, that it dreamed of soaring into the air as a paper airplane, or lovingly wrapping itself around a breakable souvenir for safe travels back home. Here are some easy ways to recycle this very newspaper and play a small but important part in saving the planet:
Make an old-fashioned paper boat. The South Walton area has the Gulf, sure, but it also has coastal dune lakes, rivers and other bodies of water that would be just perfect for floating a paper boat. Sure, you can go buy a plastic boat, but make the experience ever more meaningful by building your own. You can even have boat races. A quick internet search of “how to build a paper boat” will tell you everything you need to know.
Tend the garden. Did you know that newspaper makes an excellent weed barrier? If you’re working in your garden and building a raised bed, place pieces of newspaper down before you fill in with dirt. The paper acts as a barrier, keeping weeds from invading your beautiful flowers.
Have a crawfish boil celebration. There’s nothing that says “beach meal” like a good, old-fashioned crawfish boil. And there’s no way to do it except than by covering your table with newspaper before dumping your steaming pot of crustaceans out for all to enjoy.
Wrap a gift. Did you get a gift for someone from home while here visiting? What better wrapping paper than the very newspaper of the town you are visiting? Choose the page you want featured on the front of your gift, and then all you need is some tape and perhaps a piece of twine to complete the vintage wrapping look.
Get your farmers market fix. Have you visited the Seaside Farmers Market while in town? If you happened to pick up any under-ripe peaches, tomatoes, bananas, avocadoes or other produce, just wrap them up in this newspaper and they will ripen more quickly. (If you haven’t yet, the market is every Tuesday and Saturday morning, so come for a visit while you’re here.)
There is more to reusing and recycling than dropping off a bin at the local recycling center (Although that works too.). So get creative and have an earth-saving moment right now with the help of this newspaper.