The Pathos Of Things

"If it weren't for me," says Ailz, "You'd be a hoarder."

Which is probably true. I hate to throw things away. Everything I own- down to the last stub of a pencil- will either "come in useful one of these days" or has sentimental associations. Or both. That saucepan for instance: it may have lost most of its non-stick coating- but it's still notionally usable- and- what is even more to the point- it's an old friend that has served me well. Think of all the nice meals I've prepared in it. Things have feelings, don't they?

On the other hand I'd be very happy to give it you if I think you can provide it with a good home. I'm not possessive. I just want the best for it.

Plastic Waste

One of the things I hate to throw away is bubblewrap. I store it in the garage.

And it will come in useful. I know it will. Sooner or later I'll have a lot of breakables to take to the charity shop or to wrap for Christmas and- as has happened in the past- I'll work through my whole stock and have to start collecting again.

I am very conscious of the amount of plastic that passes through the house- most of it as wrapping or packaging- and I try to deal with it responsibly- but there's just so much.  Some of it we can re-use or recycle but I'm afraid a lot of it still goes in the bin. Black plastic, for instance. Apparently that can't be recycled at present- and if you put it in the recycling box it just creates a headache for the recyclers.

I see that some company has started mining old rubbish tips to extract the plastic- which it then converts into eco-friendly fuel. It's a  start- one of many- to be set alongside the tax on plastic shopping bags and the elimination of those amusing bits of plastic grit from shampoos and scrubs. . We're not helpless. There are things we can do if we're only prepared to think.