We recycle in order to reduce the amount of raw materials we use, such as, trees. We need our trees to breathe cleaner air. We also have reduce pollution and emissions to environment. Reduce the garbage that goes to landfills. Everything that ends up in landfills, has costs for disposal. The costs for purchasing raw materials in first place so should get most use out of an item. It is cheaper to recycle materials than to dispose of in landfills. And reduce amount of garbage; less money on bag tags or dumpster fees.
Think about every student in the school depositing their garbage in this room. The garbage pile would get bigger and bigger. Where would we sit? Eventually, we would run out of room. Not only that, but the room
would be messy and smelly, and you wouldn’t want to use it…
This also applies to the earth. We only have so much space and have to share this space with other animals and plants. Currently, our garbage goes to a landfill. The cost for 1 truck full of garbage is $2100.00. When the landfill area is full, we cover it with plantings i.e. Zwick Park is developed. Then we have to look for another site. The problem with garbage in the ground is that leachate runs into the ground and water/well contamination is a strong possibility.
How can we reduce garbage going to landfills?
First, reduce the amount of garbage that goes to landfill through composting; recycling; bring
a litterless lunch; over packaging – purchasing decisions.
Second, make use of items as much as possible e.g. write on both sides of the
paper; use plastic containers for storage; give old clothing/toys to a
charity.
Third, items can be made into other products, such as, to-go containers made from plants and recycled back into plants. You can start using biodegradeable to-go containers, such as, Friendly Options to-go containers and supplies.
What happens to Recycled Materials?
Glass forms new bottles and jars and used for fiberglass, glass bead and reflective paint
Aluminum cans & foil can be rolled into sheets to form new cans
Tin and steel can be reused for other products such as car parts, hammers, drills, etc.
Plastics, such as, pop bottles become fibre for winter coats, sleeping bags, clothing and auto body parts for cars like Saturns, Corvettes
Bleach jugs become blueboxes and drain pipes
Coffee cups and packaging become trays, videos, and audio cassettes
New paper products can be made such as newspaper, paper towels, napkins
Corrugated cardboard can be used to make new boxes and new cardboard
Trivia Facts-
• It would take 300 years for a littered aluminum can to break down by natural
processes
• Recycling 1 ton of newspaper saves 17 trees
• Recycling 1 pop can saves enough energy to powers a television for 3 hours
Classroom Hints:
• Only put recycled materials in the bluebox
Kleenex, paper towels and napkins are not recyclable
• Rinse out any food or beverage containers before placing in the bluebox
This is especially important for juice and milk product containers
• Flatten any boxes
• Sort materials into appropriate bins: Adding signs to your bins helps with this.
Go to Friendly Options and start saving your earth at:
http://www.friendly-options.com/
