I have written about this before, probably in http://www.NicaLiving.com but it needs to be said a few more times. For you usanos, you most likely associate the word recycle with a government-mandated program. Well, there is really a lot more or, well, actually, a lot less to it. It took my move to Nicaragua to understand the real meaning.

First, a bit of political orientation. I consider myself a "Green Libertarian". I originally said this to someone (in Costa Rica) as a joke. Later, I realized it actually makes sense. To me, what it means is that I believe in as little government as possible but I also want to protect the planet. Thus, while I feel you are primarily responsible for your own defence, it is the responsibility of governments to protect the planet.

When I lived in the U.S. I felt government-imposed recycling fit into the Green part of the equation. But, after five years in Nicaragua, I have a very different understanding. It turns out that the problem in the U.S. is actually that people have too much money and/or their time is "worth too much". Maybe the current financial meltdown will actually create a Greener U.S.

In any case, in Nicaragua, people have a lot less money. Amazing as it may seem, a family might live on $100/month. Underemployment (working part of a day or only a few days a week) is pretty common. Thus, people tend to have more time than money. In this situation, what I call real recycling just happens. The reality is that things just get recycled, sometimes in very creative ways, because buying something else is just not possible.

One of the most common items that gets recycled is the plastic bag. Re-using it as, well, a plastic bag is the obvious case but uses go way beyond that. For example, if you need a "red flag" to put on a long load on your truck (or ox cart), you grab a pink plastic bag. Insulation for an electrical connection: tie a plastic bag around it. A flexible plant tie: plastic bag.

You get the idea. While I don't think all these uses are great (for example, a plastic bag is commonly used as a fire starter) the bottom line is that recycling just happens out of necessity. I will pick necessity over government intervention any time.

After living here for a few years you actually think about the possible future use of items. Or, more accurately, you try to decide if an item is really just trash. For example, I had been saving plastic vitamin bottles for no apparent reason. One day, I needed to cover a 3/4" hole near the top of our plastic water tank to keep critters out. Two vitamin bottle lids and a machine screw created the hole cover.

I don't have a quick "training program" but each time you make a trip to a place like Home Depot to get some sort of fixit item, think about how much time you would have saved if you could have just produced it from "junk" you had at home. Or, better yet, just spend a few years in a third world country. You will be amazed what you will learn.