I used to think recycling my plastic bottles was enough, but a friend in Portland pointed out my old SUV was the real problem.

3 comments

3 Comments

Oh man, that hits home. I was the same way, feeling good about my recycling bin. Then I added up my commute miles. My old pickup got maybe 15 miles to the gallon. All those plastic bottles I saved in a year didn't even come close to the pollution from one week of driving that thing. I traded it in for a used sedan and my gas bill got cut in half. It was a real eye-opener.

lilykelly18d ago

Ugh YES the recycling thing is such a trap. My whole building got those tiny compost bins and I felt like a hero, but then I read how much food waste just gets thrown out by grocery stores every single day. It made my little bin feel pretty pointless, like trying to empty a lake with a spoon.

oliver_morgan9d ago

Yeah, @keithlane's point about the car really got me too.