We are very conscious of the environment at Lavish Salon. We are a big proponent of recycling our waste products. All of our soda cans and water bottles that our clients use are always recycled. We also recycle our old magazines, junk mail, cardboard, shampoo & conditioner bottles, color bottles, and its cardboard packaging. I even take the used coffee grounds home and use them in my garden. A year or so ago I didn’t think all that much about recycling. I guess I just figured it wouldn’t make a difference if I did or if I didn’t recycle. I am only one person, right?

Last November, I recently took a trip to St. Maarten as part of a cruise. The excursion that my Husband and I signed up for was a scenic coastal hike. It was the most beautiful hike I have taken and was one of the many highlights of my trip. There was one sobering but eye-opening discovery on this hike. Upon reaching the coastline, I was absolutely dumbfounded on how much plastic debris washes up onto the shore. Water bottles, plastic jugs, a CROCK shoe were amongst the trash that was sprinkled along that part of the coastline. I realize that some of the debris is left there by locals but the vast majority (we were told by our guide) comes from boats and ships that dump their waste and from people littering our lakes, rivers, and oceans with trash. Once tossed from the boat, ship, or your hand, it is soon forgotten. This picture I took on our trip is my reminder to everyone that trash just doesn’t evaporate. It shows up in such beautiful and wondrous places like St Maarten in the Caribbean.

Going forward, Lavish Salon has made a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint. I encourage everyone to recycle. Recycle at home, recycle at your business, recycle, recycle, recycle! If you do not already have the blue City of Tampa recycling bin or do not know of the recycling drop-offs, go to the City of Tampa Recycling website. It is so easy to get started and once you start be careful, it can be addicting.