Recycling is a Natural Part of Life

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Did you know next month, April 22, is Earth Day?
Earth Day is an annual day on which events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth's natural environment.

Since Earth Day is coming up soon, today I'd like to share something with you. As you know, I have a rather large family. I like to cook, a lot. With a large family, comes A LOT of trash consumption. Whether it be from papers collected from handouts at school, schoolwork, magazines and newspapers, or especially our food consumption and the containers that our drinks and food come in. We tend to accumulate quite a bit! Especially after a birthday party like the one we had last month.

Growing up, we had these recycling crates. They came in different colors for each type of recycling item. My dad was a daily newspaper reader, so the paper recycling crate would be full each and every week. I was an only child, so our little family didn't consume as much then as my large family now does. Regardless, recycling was always a part of my life, I can't imagine doing anything differently. Since I was the only child, I got the pleasure of taking out the trash and recycling weekly on trash day, and I had to sort through the recycling crates to be sure the proper items were in the proper crates.

Recycling has evolved a bit from how it was when I was growing up. Because we do have a large family, we are always teaching them never to be wasteful. Whether it be with their food, their clothes or even their trash.

If you've been a reader for a while now, then you know I prefer to make things from scratch when it comes to cooking and baking (it's so much more economical, less waste, and better for you). Sometimes I dabble in some pre-made items, or a recipe can be semi-homemade using some homemade items and some that are store bought. You can imagine how many containers we can accumulate from just our drinks alone!

When the kids outgrow their clothes or shoes, we hang onto them for the younger kids to grow into, or hand them down to another child we may know, or we donate them.

Arrowhead - Recycle / ReBorn

When it comes to our recycling, instead of the little color coded crates we have a large recycling bin. Our one recycling bin used to fill up rather quickly each week, so after our recent move we went ahead and ordered a second recycling bin from our garbage company. Did you know that you could do that? It's an additional small fee, but for me it's worth it.
We recycle everything; juice bottles, water bottles, milk cartons, paper, glass.. you name it!

We also drink A LOT of water in our home. My oldest son alone can drink an entire 24 pack of bottled water all to himself in a week. I'm proud of the healthy eating choices I've taught my kids. We don't drink soda very often so we don't typically have cans to recycle, but we do have a ton of water bottles each week. Since we consume so many, it's definitely something we don't want to just toss in the trash!

Just the other day I was washing dishes and there were a few water bottles on the counter to be rinsed and recycled. My 4 year old loves to help with dishes and the kitchen, so he grabbed the bottles and said "Oh, I have to put these in the recycling." I haven't really discussed with him yet WHY we recycle, but it's just something he does because he knows that's just what you do. But on this day, he asked me "Mommy, why do we recycle?" I was excited for an opportunity to explain to him the importance of recycling and how it will help leave a cleaner earth for him when he gets older, and we discussed the different things that are recyclable and how they can be used again and again rather than just once then wasted. It was a great moment, and he was so excited that he could help make our world better, one water bottle at a time!

Arrowhead

Since water bottles tend to be one of the main things found in our recycling bin, I was pleased to learn what Arrowhead is doing to help reduce waste in our environment and landfills.

Not all water is created equal.  With a heritage dating back to 1894, Arrowhead® Brand 100% Mountain Spring Water comes only from carefully selected mountain springs that are continually replenished.  What starts out as rain and snow, soaks into the ground and is filtered naturally by the earth with a distinct balance of minerals to create our crisp refreshing taste.

1. Arrowhead’s new ReBorn™ bottle is made with 50% recycled plastic and demonstrates how the plastic you recycle can be given a new life.
2. Due to the limited supply of high quality recycled plastic, we need your help in recycling so companies like Arrowhead® 100% Mountain Spring Water can use more recycled plastic in our products!

ReBorn Bottle

Say hello again to Arrowhead’s ReBorn Bottle, a new bottle made from 50% recycled plastic – material that can be recycled again and again, so there is no end to its usefulness.

This isn’t Arrowhead’s first environmental initiative. And it won’t be our last. In fact, Arrowhead has a long history of treating Mother Nature right. From preserving and protecting our carefully selected natural spring sources (and acres surrounding them) to sustainable sourcing of our waters, from LEED certified facilities to utilizing wind turbines for renewable energy, and constantly improving packaging. The list goes on, just like the recyclability of our ReBorn bottles.

Recycled plastic is simply a better source of plastic. It’s part of Arrowhead’s ongoing commitment to preserving our natural springs, and ensures that every bit of Arrowhead, both inside and out, is truly Born Better.

Better IS the new ReBorn Bottle – proof recycling works.

The U.S. has a recycling problem

Recycling is one of the easiest and most beneficial ways we can all help the environment. Sadly, only about 30% of PET plastic bottles get recycled. For recycling to work, we all have to do our part. 

Unfortunately, not all plastic bottles are made with recycled plastic. It’s Arrowheads goal to continue increasing the use of recycled materials in their bottles, but they need everyone’s help. Currently, there isn’t enough recycled plastic available for Arrowhead to make 100% rPET bottles. 

Make recycling a part of your family’s routine.

Hand-Sculpted Flower Earrings made from plastic bottles

Some Facts About Recycling:

1. U.S. plastic beverage bottle recycling rates are only at about 30%
2. 2.8 Billion plastic bottles ended up in California landfills in 2011
3. Even though a package says it is “100% recycleABLE”, that does not mean it is made with recyclED plastic.  It just means it CAN BE recycled.  In fact, most containers are not made of recycled plastic.

Do you recycle?

How do you teach your kids and family members the importance of recycling?

If you are interested and would like to learn more, you can visit and "like" the Arrowhead Facebook Page. 

There is a lot of information there including videos, ideas for upcycling bottles, and more information about the ReBorn bottle. You can also spread the word with your own friends by sharing the links with them.

Disclosure: This article is financially supported by Arrowhead Waters. All thoughts are my own.