Each
year Americans create about 240 million tons of solid wastes - about 4 1/2 pounds
per person each day! Much of this waste ends up in landfills or is incinerated,
but most of it can be recycled. Recycling is taking a product or material that
is no longer being used and turning it into a raw material that can be used for
something else. It is an
easy but important way of helping to protect our environment from the pollution
that our wastes can cause. Thanks to the environmental movement, recycling has
spread across the country and around the world.
Until
'modern times' recycling was the normal way of life. During World War II for example,
when the nation needed to conserve resources at home, 25% of all wastes were recycled.
But by 1960 less than 8% of our wastes were recycled. Today, 32% of wastes are
recycled in America and there are more than 10,000 curbside recycling programs
in America! Each year over 60 million tons of wastes are recycled instead of ending
up in landfills or incinerators. The EPA has set a goal for America to reach 35%
recycling.
You
can help save resources by practicing the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Reduce:
Precycle - 1/3 of all garbage is packaging - buy products with minimal or recycled
packaging; say no to a bag when purchasing a small item.
Reuse:
Many things can be reused before throwing them out.
Recycling:
Take the National
Recycling Coalition's Recycling pledge:
- I pledge to find out what materials
I can and cannot recycle in my community;
- I pledge to lead by example in
my neighborhood by recycling;
- I pledge to recycle batteries, cell phones
and other electronic waste.
- I pledge to email my elected officials to ask
them to increase funding for my community's recycling programs.
- I pledge
to tell five friends that recycling is the easiest thing they can do to slow global
warming.
Recycling
Day, on November 15, is an important opportunity to educate people about the importance
of recycling for our environment, and how each of us can make a difference for
a better world by recycling.
On
the Earth 911 site (http://earth911.org/recycling/)
you can locate the nearest recycling center for disposing of items like paint
and batteries.
