A Couple Who Recycles Together...

Melanie Swiderek and John "Jay" Howard only recently moved to Enon, Ohio, but they couldn’t make their new house a home without recycling.

“We were excited that Rumpke brought recycling to Enon, because we had gotten accustomed to recycling where we lived previously and we wanted to be able to continue that when we moved here,” said Jay. “We did bring things up to the drop-off center before we started recycling with Rumpke, but we can recycle a lot more now that we have curbside pickup.”

Contact Rumpke to find out recycling options in your community.

To make sure they are recycling as much as possible, Melanie and Jay have recycling containers around the house so they are as accessible as trash cans. Guests are expected to pitch in, as are the kids.

“I recall the Native American idea that you don't inherit the Earth from your forebears, you borrow it from your children,” said Jay. “I want my children to be able to live in a world that's clean and healthy- and if I'm borrowing it from them, then I want to take care of it and respect it.”

The family recycling bin is as full as the trash can, and Melanie and Jay like to remind guests how easy it is to recycle because all the materials can go into one bin.

Click here for a list of acceptable recyclables.

While recycling as much as possible, they also try to purchase products made from recycled materials, as well as items with less packaging. The couple has other plans for their new home including composting and repurposing.

“I'm particularly eager to try out some of the ideas on the web for reusing shipping pallets,” said Melanie. “For example, we may try this summer to use shipping pallets to create a small garden that's weed-resistant: Staple landscape fabric to the backside of a pallet, then lay it down, fill it with dirt, and start planting!”

Check out Rumpke’s Pinterest page for more repurposing projects and green living ideas.

Melanie and Jay hope others consider their impact on the environment and realize how easy—but important—it is to conserve landfill space and natural resources.

“The Earth is the only home we've got, and it's a beautiful one,” said Melanie. “Why would we want to waste its resources and clutter it up with junk? Everything we can conserve, recycle, reuse, repurpose, etc., is one less thing we waste or one less thing that would end up in a landfill.”

Are you passionate about conserving natural resources or keeping our communities clean? Please contact us to share your story.