Make Today Matter...
Facts: - The US leads the industrialized world in waste generation, producing 245 million tons annually or 4.5 lbs per person per day.
- 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour.
- 400 billion photocopies are made every year or roughly 750,000 per minute.
- Producing recycled white paper creates 74% less air pollutants, 35% less water pollutants, and 75% less process energy than producing paper from virgin fibers.
- Recycling an aluminum can saves 96% of the energy used to make a can from ore and produces 95% less air pollution and 97% less water pollution.
- 32% of waste is recovered and recycled or composted, 14% is burned, and 54% is disposed of in landfills.
- 9,000 curbside recycling programs exist.
Take action today!
- Reduce what you use by purchasing larger sizes.
- Reuse rather than throwing away.
- Contact your local waste management company and find out if they sort trash and recycle. If not, create different containers in your home and at work for glass, plastic, and paper.
- Deliver your separated recyclables to a local recycling center once a month.
- Buy recycled products and packaging.
You matter!
Reducing, reusing, and recycling are key to protecting our resources and preserving our environment for future generations.
Garbage means wasted water, wasted energy, pollution, transportation costs, and overflowing landfills. Reducing is the most powerful technique for eliminating waste because we don't generate waste in the first place. If reducing is out of the question, then at least reuse or recycle. You have three options.
Which one are you going to choose today?
(Adapted from Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza)
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