Science Scene - Earth Day 2008

Here at Nutwood Junction, we have definitely discovered the joy of recycling.  When we first moved in, about six years ago, we used to fill one garbage can (slightly bigger than a 55 gallon drum) every week, plus part of another garbage can on occasion.  Now, we usually only have one 13 gallon bag, that covers the kitchen, bathroom, and kitty litter.  How did we cut down so drastically on the amount of garbage?  We got serious about recycling.  We started off with two small recycle bins from Waste Management.  Since they only pick up every two weeks, it did not take us long to outgrow them.  After the first year, we went out and bought a third bin, and that worked until it was stolen from the side of the road.  We then started using the two bins plus a smaller garbage can, and that worked for a couple of years, but we outgrew that was well.  Now, we have two 50 gallon garbage cans that we fill every two weeks - one with plastic, the other mostly with cans.  We also normally have one of the smaller bins that I use in the garage, plus a bundle of newspapers and some cardboard.  We are so glad that we recycle much more than we simply dispose of.

Other things that we do, besides recycling, are:

• During the spring/summer, we have a compost crock that all veggie material and coffee grounds go into.
• We use compact fluorescent bulbs at every location we can.
• We do not have central air, and only turn on the bedroom window unit when it is extremely hot (we love to have the windows open).
• We take our spent batteries to my work, where we have a recycle program to prevent them from going into landfills.
• We donate things we no longer use to Goodwill, much better than throwing out.
• We take all paper to my work for recycling.

However, I am not satisfied.  I think there are more things that we can do.  So here is my challenge to J-Land; post a comment for this entry that documents at least one unique thing that you do to recycle and/or try and be green.  My goal is to get to at least 50 comments, which I will take and consolidate into another Science Scene entry.  So please spread the word about this effort - let's do our part!  Happy Earth Day to each and every one of you.  May this help you in some way do something that helps our environment.  Below are some references I found related to recycling for your surfing pleasure :o)

[Source: Wikipedia] Recycling is the reprocessing of old materials into new products, with the aims of preventing the waste of potentially useful materials, reducing the consumption of fresh raw materials, reducing energy usage, reducing air (from incineration) and water (from land filling) pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.  Recycling is a key concept of modern waste management and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy, though colloquial usage of "recycling" can also include "reuse".  "Recyclable materials" or "recyclables", may originate from home, business or industry. They include glass, paper, metal, textiles and plastics. Though analogous, the composting of biodegradable waste—such as food or garden waste—is not typically considered recycling.  These materials are either brought to a collection center or picked-up from the curbside; and sorted , cleaned and reprocessed into new products bound for manufacturing.  To judge the environmental benefits of recycling, the cost of this entire process must be compared to the cost of virgin extraction. In order for recycling to be economically viable, there usually must be a steady supply of recyclables and constant demand for the reprocessed goods; both of which can be stimulated through government legislation.  Meanwhile, critics claim that government mandated recycling wastes more resources than it saves. These critics claim that free market prices, and not politicians, are the most accurate way to determine whether or not any particular type of garbage should be recycled. According to these critics, whenever recycling truly does save resources, the private sector will voluntary offer people money for their garbage.

Recycling Facts and Figures (source http://www.epa.gov/garbage/recycle.htm)

• In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32.5 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.

• While recycling has grown in general, recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 52 percent of all paper, 31 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of all aluminum beer andsoft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.

• Twenty years ago, only one curbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the curb. By 2006, about 8,660 curbside programs had sprouted up across the nation. As of 2005, about 500 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.

 

Curbside Recycling [source http://earth911.org/recycling)

Curbside recycling now serves half of the U.S. population, providing the most convenient means for households to recycle a variety of materials.

While all curbside programs differ, the most commonly included materials are The Big Five: aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper, plastic and steel/tin cans.

Note that this is also an excellent site to determine if there are recycling programs and/or facilities in your neck of the woods.  I signed up for "greentips" alerts :o)

Tags: Recycle, Earth Day, blogplugs