My wife puts cardboard in the regular bin instead of the recycling bin. Sometimes I put cans in the regular bin instead of the recycling bins (but not the ones that we can get 10c for, they go in the garage).
We had a moment in the kitchen where I observed that (and she agreed) that our little impact has no being on the consequence - because one - we're not ever having children, and two - we certainly won't be around to face the butterfly- effect inspired negligence of the small amounts of matter we misplace.
Tragically, so often, the recycling ends up in the landfill.
My personal bug bear at the moment is "single use plastics" - as you may know, South Australia is on a warpath to "ban" and "phase out" these things - but so many things that would not be considered "single use" plastic are in fact this - the bag the chicken comes in from the butcher.
The see through window on envelope that comes in the mail. The squeezy sauce bottle that people don't bother to refill from a larger vessel of sauce. I could go on. It is single use, not because its use once and throw away, but because it does not get "reused" after the fact.
Semantics, of course, something I prattle on about too much. But I return to the notion that it doesn't matter. Apathy, perhaps, instead of resistance.
I think this is the common affect of the immediacy of our desires now. We don't care about the future, even our own, and especially not the generations to come. Those cave paintings that gave guides to future generations on how to survive for thousands of years, have become tiktok videos on how to waste the next 30 seconds of life. Is it a life worth living though?
In terms of single use plastics, yeah, it is annoying. The difference between a straw and a chicken bag though is, the straw gets thrown onto the street. Does that change the definition? Europe has been banning single use plastics for years already.
Overall though, I think there are far more important things than single use plastics we could be spending the same amount of effort on and have a greater impact. Stop dropping bombs might be a good start.
That would be delightful. If I hear one thing about "sustainable weapons", well... I might just go mad. Perhaps we could achieve it, instead of dropping the straw on the street, collect them and drop them upon your enemies.
straws and cigarette butts.