Reduce. Reuse. Recycle?

Did some interesting reading on recycling today. Thought I'd share. Further emphasizes that it should really be the Two R's -- Reduce and Reuse -- with the Recycle bit being added on only when absolutely necessary. 

The more I read, the more those single use plastics become unusable to me. Granted, I'm still a long ways from being a non-single-use-savior, but I certainly give my daily decisions in what I do or do not use/consume a lot more consideration. 

From the NY Times:

Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up 

And from the always dependable for some thought-provoking-plastics-commentary Surfrider spin-off blog, (and also where I saw the two R's thought) Rise Above Plastics:

Recycling: Missing the Point..."by That Much"

First step for me? Soon as I get home I'm taking some of those reusuable cloth grocery bags Selin bought a while ago and putting them in the trunk of my car...I always forget to take them when I go to the store. If I just keep them in my trunk always, I'll have no excuse.

Update: On the way home last night, I stopped at Safeway real quick to get some milk, cereal, and a few other hodgepodge items for dinner. (Yes, I eat cereal for dinner. What of it?). With no reusable cloth bags yet stashed in my trunk, I was bagless. So, I carried my little basket with my 10 or so items through the checkout line, and I asked the bagger to just place my items directly in the basket, which I'd carry out to my car, unload, and then bring back. So I diverted my attention to the cashier, paid and entered my club card #, and what do you know, when I look back at my bagged items....

they were placed in 3 separate plastic bags, and THEN placed into the basket. 

Grrrrrrrrreat.

Haha, I had to laugh about it, what are you gonna do...the guy probably doesn't get that request very often. It did make me think though -- it's just so ingrained to use those things, ALL THE TIME, how do you get mindset to shift and change away from it? It'll take time but worth doing.