If you could only choose ONE thing, what would you say is the single most important thing to recycle?

Question

If you could only choose ONE thing, what would you say is the single most important thing to recycle?

Answer 1

All of you are right, but I would like to add recycle vegetation from your yard or kitchen and recycle grey water.  If we would compost all vegetable matter, it, it will turn into the nicest soil with plenty of humous to collect water. Also, recycle grey water.  Water from the kitchen sink etc could be used to water our trees and save our precious fresh water for drinking. Los Angeles is now recycling "black water" (sewer water) into their drinking water. What would our forest be today if we had been doing both of these things 10-20 years ago?

Answer 2

Plastic due to it's petroleum base.

:o)

Answer 3

plastic !!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

Plastic! It takes so long to break down if it ever even does! So anything especially water bottles! I see them everywhere on the side of the road!

Answer 5

This question makes my brain hurt.

We live on a permaculture farm.  Everything is tied together.  If I pick only one thing, the system starts to collapse.

Do I say it's most important to plant more trees, so we can continue to have renewable wood heat, and provide the wildlife a sheltered area to live?

Do I say it's most important to compost and recycle the manure from the animals, so we can continue to build the soil on our farm, and produce the foods that we and the livestock eat?

Do I say it's most important to recycle the squeezings from the rapeseed (we use it to make fuel for our farm) by feeding it to the goats, which adds "free" food to the goats diet, as well as producing more manure to grow the crops, like the rapeseed....? (My brain hurts)

Do I say it's trying to find a double use for every drop of water here on the Idaho farm, which is in a high mountain desert area and in at least its 7th year of drought?

Do I say it's for darn near ever stick of furniture we own, that was owned at least once prior to us owning it?

Do I say it's for the "recycled" dogs, and cats I've adopted from the pound, or the five rescue horses I own?  (The animals vote that THIS is the most important)

Do I vote that it's for our 1930's John Deere tractors, which were all destined to be sent for scrap, before making their way to our farm, to have years, and years more servicable life, AND that they can run on "all fuel?"  

Do I say that it's the leaves that fall from our trees in the Autumn in a perfect circle at the base of the trees, "magically" forming the perfect compost for them?

Do I say it's the thousands of second hand books we own that have given us such an amazing, and continuous education?

Nope....I have a feeling you are some evil person (joke) who secretly designed this question to make us permaculturlist go insane.

If I had to pick just ONE thing, as a permaculture farmer, I would say it is most important to recycle every single thing that was once living, and return it to the soil.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 6

I will rather recycle the electronic waste than any other waste as rather these wastes contain many toxic chemicals & the history of recycling of e-wastes is not old & more than 90% of the wastes are allowed to pollute the soil,water & environment.These contain most toxic metals like chromium,platinum,palladium,mercury,plas... & when disposed unsafely can cause environmental damage.

Answer 7

paper or plastic

lol i sounded like the  bagger at the grocery store

Answer 8

All them water bottles.

Answer 9

I would have to say either aluminum cans or plastic bottles.

Answer 10

Paper. recycling paper saves trees trees keep air clean. Rain forests may have medicines Medicine saves lives so!!!!!!!!. Paper

Answer 11

plastic because a lot of oil is used to make them

then paper because of trees

the least importnat thing to recycle is glass, although its still important to recycle everything

Answer 12

al gore and friends

Answer 13

Love!!!

Answer 14

The ONE thing that is the single most important are the plastic items.