Jackie Thompson
For a long time, showing any interest in prepping invited ridicule about tin-foil hats and bunkers, but as countless non-preppers scramble for essential items in grocery stores as a result of COVID-19, preppers are carrying on with life as usual with many fighting the urge to say ‘I told you so.’ But, rather than locking themselves away until things go back to normal, many preppers are sharing the knowledge they’ve accumulated over the years. One thing that preppers know a lot about is recycling. In a post-apocalyptic world, many of the things people consider as trash today will be recycled and given a new life. Whether you’re looking to adopt some aspects of the prepper lifestyle or you want to be more environmentally friendly, here are a few recycling tips from preppers that you can apply in your life.
Dealing with plastic
Single-use plastic is one of the biggest enemies of the planet today, with millions of tons of it piling up in landfills while the rest makes its way to the oceans and causing all sorts of problems for aquatic life. But, plastic is one of the most recyclable materials, and finding new ways to give it new life can only be limited by your imagination. Beyond its obvious use as containers in their homes, preppers have come up with many ideas of how to recycle plastic items instead of dumping them. For example, plastic bottles can be converted into garden planters, fishing traps, and rafts. Some preppers are also melting plastic waste and turning it into multicolored building materials that they can use to build an entire shelter, particularly those who want to make their shelter feel more like a man cave as opposed to a boring and ugly bunker. Plastic bags can also be used to control weed and set animal traps in your garden.
Recycling metal
Metal is another versatile resource that has multiple recycling options once its original use has expired. Metal cans, coat hangers, old knives, metallic components in damaged electronics, and pretty much every piece of metal you have around the house can be reused. For starters, metal containers can be used to cook and store food when there are no other options. Metal objects can also be turned into snares, traps, or weapons to catch animals. Some preppers have built foundries in their homes where they melt metallic waste and turn it into blades, ornaments, and building materials.
Dealing with organic waste
Preppers have identified two main ways of reusing all types of biodegradable waste that come from homes including food waste, eggshells, nut shells, coffee grounds, and grass clippings. The most common way to recycle such waste is by turning it into compost to use in the garden. To do this, you only need to dig a large hole, dump your biodegradable waste in there, and cover it up until everything decomposes and turns into nutrient-rich manure. This is already a common practice in rural areas where farmers use organic waste to boost the quality of their farm soil during planting season. The other way to reuse biodegradable waste is by using it to generate biogas. This approach is less commonly known and a lot more complicated to set up but if successful, you can use the biogas generated to power up your home when you’re not connected to the grid.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause chaos across the country, preppers have gone from being the objects of mass derision to sources of valuable advice on various matters. By following their recycling practices, you can reuse and repurpose most of the items you currently throw away which drastically reduces your carbon footprint.