What is Fusion Living?! It’s the result of seeing overflowing recycle bins like this. One day I thought, are they ever going to get recycled?
An article by BC Hydro was a shocking discovery. In 2016, Canadians recycled 3.3 million tons of recyclable items. But 85% of that went to the landfills! Many of us thought we were doing something good for the planet…
How can we reduce the number of recyclable items?
In this article, you’ll find Fusion Living – 8 ways to reduce recyclables.
What’s Fusion Living?
For me, fusion means mixing things/thought/beliefs, e.t.c. It’s hard to live 100% sustainably unless you are isolated from the modern world. So combining the living style from the old days and the current lifestyle is the origin of the name Fusion Living.
8 ways to practice Fusion Living
1. Find alternative products
When you look at your own recycle bin, what do you see? I used to see many plastic milk jugs in my blue box.
I wondered if there were any alternative products available. And I found one!
As you can imagine, I was excited to find milk in a glass container! If you are my age, milk in a glass bottle instantly brings back childhood memories.
With this company, consumers pay $2.50 (per 2L bottle) for the recycle deposit upfront so when they return it, they get the money back! Although you pay in advance, receiving money makes you smile!
Since you return the bottles, you can eliminate any plastic jugs from your recycle bin.
2. Cook at home
In the old days, that’s what most people did. As an example, my grandma made pretty much everything from scratch. It was truly a time-travelling experience. Life was much simpler back then.
Not anymore, especially for families with working parents. It’s OK to have the convenience of pre-made food or delivery. Unfortunately, most of it’s not sustainable. We often realize how much packaging it comes in after the meal.
So when you buy a meal, choose environmentally conscious businesses. Many businesses have switched to biodegradable containers because they care just like you.
Cooking more often at home not only reduces the amount of packaging but also saves money & maintains healthy eating habits.
3. Repurpose what you have
This helps reduce items that go into your recycle bin by a huge amount. Like the picture above, you can easily turn a glass jar into a vase.
If you need any inspiration, Kozy Craft can help you just like many other online resources. One of the best ways to get inspired is to watch young children on what/how they play. To no surprise, they are the ones with infinite imagination!
As you can imagine, repurposing a single item can reduce the amount in your recycle bin.
4. Composting
This is one of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of paper recycling. You can simply shred/tear paper, and use them as brown materials. To make healthy compost, you need both green and brown layers.
Additionally, cardboard boxes are great for creating a lasagna garden. You can also create eco-friendly planters with a variety of things like toilet rolls, takeout napkins, and egg cartons.
As a result, composting will reduce the amount of paper you recycle, and it’s good for your garden!
5. Gardening
Another way you can reduce recyclables is by gardening. Whether growing food or pretty flowers, it will eliminate packaging. For example, berries often come in a plastic container and a bouquet comes in plastic wrapping.
When you grow plants, you just harvest and eat (the best part!) or make an arrangement. It’s hard during winter, but this is something you can easily do during the growing season.
Gardening is a fun way to reduce plastic items for sure!
6. Notebooks & Paper
If you have school-age children, this one is for you. Like many of you, I have children and they both have had years’ worth of notebooks. On top of that, they’ve got a single-sided paper from school.
Instead of throwing them away, why don’t you use them as your journal or a paper pad? For some reason, you get great satisfaction!
Just imagine how many trees we are saving by doing it. And this will also definitely reduce the amount of recycled paper.
7. Fusion Living for Books & Magazines
If you are already reading electronically, this isn’t for you. But if you like the feeling of paper (like me), using a public library or a book exchange is a great way to reduce paper recycling.
Magazines, in particular, people often look through and throw them away. (Yes, I used to do that.)
Additionally, you can place a book on hold online. Once you get a pickup notification, it only takes a couple of minutes to check out. The online systems have made it so easy especially during the pandemic.
Just like notebooks and paper, using a library can reduce paper in the recycle bin.
8. Bags & Wrapping
The last one is reducing the usage of plastic bags & unnecessary wrapping materials.
To clarify, I’m not talking about fully eliminating them because you need them sometimes. For instance, people need them for travelling by air, backcountry hikes, water sports, e.t.c.
Instead of using a single-use plastic bag, there are mesh or lightweight material bags available at stores. Or you can simply make one with a pillowcase you are no longer using.
Same for wrapping materials. When you choose a material, think about what you can reuse out of your paper recycling. If you need something new for a special occasion, consider using reusable or natural materials that are compostable.
Reusing items or eco-friendly shopping certainly reduces plastic bags & extra wrapping materials in your recycle box.
The best place to start Fusion Living
The best place to start Fusion Living is by connecting with nature. When you are engaged in nature, you’ll realize what’s important and not. Additionally, you’ll start noticing garbage that doesn’t even belong in nature.
Once you see it, it comes to your concern. You then want to do something to improve or change. To connect with nature for the health of people and the environment!
Again, Fusion Living is all about adjusting your lifestyle with a mixture of the old days & modern lifestyles. All you need is to start with one of these ideas to reduce recyclable. And see what happens next…
