It’s Kuhl To Recycle: Going Cold Turkey

Make A List And Buy Only What You Need

By Mark Kuhl
For the GPHN

What started several years ago as a “No-New-Clothes” movement has evolved to a “No-New-Anything movement. 

Fast-fashion is detrimental to the environment because cheap clothing is normally worn only a few times before it’s discarded. We can dramatically reduce waste by purchasing high-quality clothing that will last longer and by mending damaged clothes. 

Why stop at clothes? Marketers tempt us to buy cheap stuff on every website we visit and this daily marketing barrage (and wasted money) have some people going cold turkey, challenging themselves to buy nothing for as long as possible. The intention of this “no-buy” idea is to get us thinking about whether we really need all the stuff we buy.  

Consider adjusting your purchasing habits by thinking about whether you already have an object in your possession that will achieve the goal of the shiny new thing you’re looking at on Amazon. Think about how many times you will really use it and if infrequent, instead reach out to your friends and neighbors to borrow theirs.  

Another idea to reduce consumption is avoid instant gratification with overnight delivery. Instead, create a list of all the things you want to buy then at the end of the month buy only the ones you really need. 

Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his family. His handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns for recycling everything from paint to Styrofoam to shoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/recycling-directory/.