Guest post by Selena Moffitt from 1 Mom’s Mission.
I don’t know about you, but I am a big fan of this planet. The ONLY planet God gave us. Keeping Earth a healthy place to live for my kids is my priority, and recycling is one way we can help to keep the planet healthy. Of course, there are other reasons why recycling is beneficial:
1. Keeps the Earth a viable place to live by respecting its resources.
2. Decreases your waste = landfills last longer. Unless you want one popping up in your backyard…
3. Saves energy. It takes less energy to make a product out of recycled materials than virgin materials.
4. Decreases pollution. Manufacturing, transporting, and burning of materials all create some lovely air quality…smog anyone?
5. Saves YOU money. Less waste gives you a smaller curbside can, which in most areas equals a cheaper sanitation bill.
While most of us know that recycling is “important”, sometimes we still manage to not do it. Why not?
1. We don’t know what we can recycle.
2. We don’t know where to recycle.
3. It’s inconvenient. (not really an excuse…especially if you live in the Northwest!)
4. We believe it doesn’t make a difference. (recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a 100 watt light bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, and a TV for 2 hours)
5. In some areas, it costs to recycle. (Ugh! Some states charge EXTRA to recycle at the curb. That IS a turnoff; however, remember the tradeoff – a few extra dollars, or an unhappy planet! It is REALLY that simple.)
Here are some facts to get you thinking. Thinking about your garbage…
:: Enough plastic is produced in the United States each year to shrink wrap Texas.
:: Enough plastic bottles are thrown away in the United States each year to circle the Earth four times.
:: Americans throw out enough iron and steel to continuously supply all the auto makers in the entire nation.
:: The process of recycling paper instead of making it from new materials generates 74 percent less air pollution and uses 50 percent less water.
Statistics from www.benefits-of-reycling.com
I can help you help our planet. This series will be dedicated to giving you useful information and easy solutions to your recycling efforts. God’s creation is too wonderful to be ignored.
Stay tuned. Recycling 101 is up next!
Selena Moffitt is one mom on a mission to make this world a better place to live. Her primary job is taking care of her two boys. She is a CPR and fitness instructor as well as a Juice Plus+ representative. Her background as a Paramedic and Personal Trainer has prompted a dive back into school. Selena is also studying to become a Holistic Nutrition Coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. More importantly, Selena will continue on her mission to “Motivate change, invigorate people, and radiate joy” with her new blog, 1 Mom’s Mission.
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Pet waste is an interesting subject. What they (a few articles I’ve read) is that the best thing to do is to pick it up and put it in the garbage. There was talk about putting it in the toilet with human waste, but then the issues becomes treating pet feces vs human feces ….different bacteria, etc. Definetely get it out of the grass so that it doesn’t run off into storm drains…into rivers….into our fish…YUCK! Sooo…bag it and toss it. 🙂
I agree that composting makes a huge difference. We just keep putting fruit and vegetable scraps in the composting bin and the darn thing never fills up–and we don’t even USE our compost. It’s like magic! It takes about two weeks to fill our kitchen garbage can, so we switched to once-a-month service. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to deal with pet waste?
I reduced my waste/recycling fee by switching to a smaller can. The secret is composting. After I started composting, my waste amount became half to 1/3. Go to Metro Paint on Swan Island and get a composting bin! It’s easy. All you have to do is to dump the kitchen scraps into the bin and occasionally mix in dead leaves.
I live in the Northwest, but on the east side, and it’s definitely more inconvenient to recycle here. No curbside service, only two drop spots in town, or you can drive to the dump, especially if you want to recycle your plastic milk jugs. That said, yes, I do recycle, but try to do without lots of extra trips…don’t want more carbon emissions than necessary!
I work for a garbage and recycling company. I am an advocate for recycling because of all the reasons mentioned below.
Do be aware that in the Portland Metro area, you can save money on your bill if you can recycle enough to have service with a smaller size can. I live in a two person home and could get away with once a month service with a 32 gallon can because I recycle as much as possible.
If you don’t know what you can and cannot recycle, call your local hauler. The haulers have information as to what is acceptable in the curbside program. Also, if you do not subscribe to garbage/recycling service, there are still options for recycling. There are recycling centers located around Portland that you can drop your recycling off at. Call your hauler if you have questions. They are there to serve you.