Reusable Practices

The Challenge: To Use As Little As You Can

This challenge is fairly simple to relate: try to avoid using as many disposable things as possible. Putting this into practice can be a little more difficult. Nearly everything we buy has something disposable along with it. It’s sanitary, it’s quick, and most of all it’s easy. But, we are making lots and lots of trash, and using lots of resources to make it. Each of us is responsible in a lifetime for so much more trash than our great-grandparents. It is hard not to just go with the flow. I find it very rewarding, though, to know I am contributing less, even if it is extra work. But, you have to be ready to remember to bring reusable things with you, for strange looks, and to do much more cleaning. But, this can be spiritual, as menial as it sounds. To me, it is getting the most from what we are blessed with and not wasting God’s gifts just because it is easier. Here are some common examples, but I am sure there are plenty others to come up with. If you have other ideas of practices or ways of making the practices habits, please post them as comments on this post.

Water Bottle/Cups/Coffee Mugs: Carry a water bottle or cup with you, even when you go to get fast food. Most fast food places these days will let you use your cup for water or soft drinks once you explain what you’re doing and that you are saving them money on cups. You can still find water for free nearly everywhere you go, too, and most city water standards are the same or even better than bottled water company standards.

Silverware: Just like with cups, you can carry a fork or even spork with you and never have to use the disposables. You can do this with chopsticks as well.

Reusable shopping bags: Next time you are in line at Wal-Mart, look at how many plastic bags get used by the people checking out. One family doing a week of shopping uses many. Multiply that by everyone that day, then by all the Wal-Marts in the world, then by each day in the year and think about how much plastic that is. And, that’s just Wal-Mart. The toughest thing about the reusable bags is remembering to bring them with you.

Plates: I have noticed that churches have gotten into the habit of using paper or Styrofoam plates much more with meals. I remember going to the Men’s Breakfast with my dad every first Sunday of the month when I was a teenager. We had a great breakfast from scratch, a speaker, and then we cleaned up. One of the most vivid images in my mind, is washing and drying dishes with the men of the church—all ages—and I wonder how much of my memories of those men would be lost if we had simply thrown away the paper plates, because it was so much easier than washing the church's dishes.

Paper: So many people waste paper on a consistent basis. Be sure to save paper you print on and use the other side if your document is not something official. Recycle the paper you finish using. You can use it to stuff packages. If you are really industrious, you can turn it back into new paper yourself.

Diapers: Of all the ones we looked at, this is clearly the most difficult and requires the greatest sacrifice. Not being a father, I cannot say that I would be enthusiastic to wash diapers, but I do know it would save a great deal of resources and landfill space. And disposable diapers take a very long time to decompose (if ever).

Doggie Bag: Keep some Tupperware in your vehicle, so you don’t have to use the typically Styrofoam take-out containers restaurants offer.

Sandwich Bags etc.: My wife and I have not bought plastic, zipping sandwich bags in the entire time we’ve been married, because we simply wash them after we use them.

These are just a few practices you can carry on. Basically, anytime you throw sometime away, ask yourself if there is a better way to use that resource. You will have to remember to keep these reusable items with you. You will deal with huffs and puffs from people thrown off their routine. You will have to explain yourself to more people than you care to. But like many lifestyle changes we choose to make, we don’t choose it because it is easy, but because we feel convicted. To me, this is a way of praising God for his gifts—to use them to their utmost. For me these lifestyle changes have been an act of praise.