When garbage collection day rolls around, cramming everything into the recycling bin can be a real pain, but an Instagram user offered a simple but brilliant way to make the most of the limited space.
The scoop
In a short video, the user Lynsey Queen Of Clean (@lynsey_queenofclean), explains that by filling an empty milk jug with hot water and then emptying it, the now warm container can be rolled up. The clip ends with a much smaller container tossed away with ease.
The final caption says, "your [sic] welcome," but with tips this helpful, her majesty need not trouble herself with a minor typo.
How it's helping
Tips like this help increase the amount of waste that's reused and reduce landfill use. Many carelessly discarded items are recyclable, but they will end up in landfills regardless. The negative environmental impact of landfills is considerable, including planet-warming gas pollution and the destruction of natural habitats.
Recycling can greatly reduce the pressure on landfills, conserve natural resources, and also has positive economic impacts. In the U.S. alone, recycling and reuse activities employ 681,000 Americans, which in turn leads to billions of dollars in wages and tax revenue. According to the EPA, recycling just ten plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a laptop for 25 hours. It's one example of how a seemingly small change can lead to big results.
Encouragingly, significant progress has been made in recent years in managing municipal waste, thanks to recycling, composting, and other methods. This has amounted to over 212.7 million tons of carbon reaching the atmosphere.
On an individual level, there are many ways to support the effort and even make money by selling old clothing and unwanted electronics.
What everyone's saying
Several short and positive comments followed the video.
"What a brilliant hack!" read one comment.
"Oh my gosh! This is genius!" said another.
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Giving me money back 💰 Another commenter said they'd been doing this for a while and provided an unorthodox tip for maximizing space: "I do this, I have done it for a long time… and if the hot water doesn't make them flat I stand on them and ram them all into a box together so they can't go back to them pre washed [sic] size."
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