Recycle Your Way Into The Future

“Wow, this house is so beautiful, just the way we want it to be" said my parents when we moved into our new home. We carried the memories of our old home to the new one, and you know how? My parents decided we should try to recycle and reuse most of the many things that graced our previous home.

Beginning with the major ones, instead of scrapping the old furniture and wood we recycled them into the new tables, chairs, closet doors, TV stands, beds etc. The curtains that blew in the breeze reaching out to us to let us know that life is beautiful - they are now turned into pillow covers, reminding us how much more beautiful life can be when we wake up every morning. The old jeans that my brother and I no longer wear but won't throw away, have been transformed into patchwork grocery bags - very trendy and very strong. What about the shower curtains? They are now spiceproof/waterproof aprons in the kitchen.

As for things like toys, lamps, clothes, carpets and blankets accumulated over the years? These were donated to Ashadaan (a home for the orphans, aged, ailing, handicaps, addicts, homeless)

When our electronic units - the TV, microwave, audio/video decks, washing machine and other gadgets give trouble, we first try to fix them; if that doesn't help, we either exchange them for new ones or sell them at selected scrap vendors (bhangaarwala). By the way, they also accept the bottles, jars and cans.

Our greeting cards are constantly recycled and reused as decorations during Christmas, as "strings" of wishes. Even the newspapers, magazines and thick unwanted papers are sold off to the local bread supplier, who reuses the same to pack bread. Even when packing our boxes before shifting, we were very careful to use packing tape and stickers sparingly as they cannot be recycled.

And yes, our old memories that were saved on VHS tapes have been transferred to DVDs and we have exchanged the tapes and other plastic items with the garlic vendor (lasoonwala) for garlic in return.

My folks have taught me a lot of lessons in making the best of the least that we have - a value that will pass on in family tradition.

Getting the most from our resources through reuse and recycle paves the way to an eco-friendly future - a road we all can travel.

- Nicolette Richard LeVillard