If we could all go even just a little beyond the blue bin, by reducing and resusing, it could make an enormous difference on the planet’s waste. The following is a short list of astonsihing recycling facts that are sure to nudge you in the direction of going green. It can’t be stressed enough how even the smallest efforts can make a huge difference, as you’ll see with some of the examples below.

METAL:

• If it takes you 45 seconds to read this recycling fact, then by the time you are done, there will have been over a quarter of a million aluminum cans produced before you were done.

• If you drink a can of beer after work and then tossed it in the recycling bin, that one (aluminum) can saves enough energy to watch television for 3 hours after dinner! Of course, you’d save even more energy if you went out for a walk or read a good (used!) book after dinner.

• There are over 80 billion soda cans used each year. Yes, that’s billion. Yes, that’s just soda! can you see the importance of recycling aluminum?

• The good thing about recycling aluminum is that it can be recycled an unlimited amount of times, and a recycled can, even 200 years from now, can still be a can. Yes, it can!

PAPER:

• If everyone read just their Sunday paper online for now on and there was no paper versions, 500,000 trees would be saved per week!

• If every single newspaper was recycled after we read them, we would be able to save 25 million trees per year!

• If you were to add up the amount of separate pieces of paper trash that each American throws away per year, it would be approximately 13,000 pieces of paper. A large percentage of this is packaging and junk mail.

• If we were to save all the wood and paper that we toss into the trash each year, the combined amount would be enough to heat 50 million homes for up to 20 years.

• If we were to lay out all the paper that American businesses generate in just one day, that paper would be enough to circle the Earth about 20 times.

PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM:

• The soda cans mentioned above were a pretty high number, right? Well, just in the USA alone, over 25 million beverage bottles made of plastic are thrown away every hour!

• Styrofoam coffee cups are being thrown away at an unbelievable amount of 25 billion per year. That number is the statistic for USA only.

• Plastic material being dumped into the ocean is responsible for killing u to a million sea creatures yearly.

GLASS:

• Using a similar example as the single aluminum can above, did you know that recycling just one glass bottle can run one of your 100 watt light bulbs for 3-4 hours.

• When a glass bottle is recycled, it is considerably cutting back on the air and water pollution that happens when creating the bottle from raw materials.

• If we were to wait for a glass bottle to decompose after throwing it away today, we would have to wait approximately 4000 years.

• There are approximately 41 billion glass containers manufactured every year.

• Like aluminum, glass can be reused an unlimted amount of times.

Batteries, Plastic, Paper, Glass, Aluminum, Steel, Motor Oil, Tires, Toxics, Refrigerators, Computer Printers, False Claims, Curbside Recycling Tips.

These items are just a few examples of what can be recycled.  For a complete more thourough list please visit here.

• For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
• You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
• By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

Throwing away items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.

Do your part in helping your planet and community….Recycle!

- The White House Task Force (on Recycling)

Here are 3-Steps you can take to reduce unwanted mail:

1 – Write or call organizations requesting that your name and address be removed from their mailing list. If there is a pre-paid postage return envelope, insert a note requesting removal of your name and address from mailing lists. Be sure to include the original mailing label with your name and address and account number, if there is one.

2 – If there is an 800 telephone number listed, call to request removal of your name and address from mailing lists.

3 – Write or call mail list brokers and ask to be placed on their “suppress” files.

The following explains the seven different types of recyclable plastics:

Plastic #1: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Common uses: 2 liter soda bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter jars.

Plastic #2: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Common uses: detergent bottles, milk jugs, grocery bags.

Plastic #3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Common uses: plastic pipes, outdoor furniture, shrink wrap, water bottles, salad dressing and liquid detergent con-tainers.

Plastic #4: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Common uses: dry cleaning bags, produce bags, trash can liners, food storage containers.

Plastic #5: Polypropylene (PP)

Common uses: aerosol caps, drinking straws.

Plastic #6: Polystyrene (PS)

Common uses: packaging pellets or “Styrofoam peanuts,” cups, plastic tableware, meat trays, to-go “clam shells.”

Plastic #7: Other

Common uses: certain kinds of food containers and Tupperware.

Plastic recycling can be very confusing. One way to think about the different types of plastic is to compare plastic to fruit. Not all fruit is the same. An apple is not an orange. Not all plastic is the same. Plastic 1 is not plastic 5. Even within the same plastic group there are differences.

Consider apples. A red apple is not a green apple. A plastic 2 narrow neck milk jug is not the same as a plastic 2 wide mouth yogurt cup. Keep the value of plastic high by placing only those types that are accepted for recycling in your recycling container.

Tips with the $ Sign next to them can also save money too!

• $ Put your lunch, leftovers and other things in reusable plastic containers instead of using plastic bags.
• $ Use washable cloth dish towels and napkins instead of paper towels and napkins
• $ Use disposable shopping bags as trash liners or tote bags.
• When shopping, use canvas shopping bags instead of plastic ones. If you can’t use canvas bags, choose paper over plastic – it’s recyclable in the mixed paper bin.
• Compost your kitchen scraps, yard trimming, dead leaves and other organic waste and create a wonderful amendment for your garden.
• $ Purchase several reusable water bottles and keep them filled with water and in the refrigerator. You’ll avoid buying so much bottle water and reduce your waste.
• Donate unwanted clothing to Goodwill or a similar charity.
• Donate unwanted household items such as furniture, decorations, and other things to Habitat for Humanity.
• $ Taking care of lawn and recreational equipment by properly storing and maintaining it will save money and create less waste.
• $ Purchase items with less packaging, such as “economy-sized” products will be cheaper and have a lower packaging to product ratio.

Close the loop by purchasing products made from recycled material.

Look for the symbol!

If you can’t reuse a product yourself, find someone who can. Sell it in a yard sale, donate it to a community organization, or set up an exchange program. Call local elementary schools and day-care centers to find out what items might be useful. Local teachers may consider your trash to be treasure in the hands of creative youngsters.

Consider donating books and magazines to public libraries or to nursing homes. If newspaper recycling is not an option in your area, check with local pet stores and animal shelters to see if they can use your discarded newspapers.

Reduce the number of paper and plastic bags your family uses by carrying reusable tote bags to grocery and department stores. Minimize use of paper towels, paper plates, and napkins. Invest in cloth napkins for everyday use, and choose reusable cloths, towels, and plates, rather than paper “throwaways.”

Substitute rechargeable batteries for throwaway batteries. Avoid other single- or limited-use items, such as throwaway cleansing pads and cigarette lighters, non-refillable ink pens, and foil baking pans. Purchase beverages in refillable bottles.

Reduce, recycle, and reuse are known as the three Rs of the waste-reduction movement. But a fourth R often is forgotten: Respond. You can refuse to buy packaging that you think is excessive, packaging that is not recyclable locally, or products that are harmful to the environment. When selecting a store, consider those that make good environmental choices.

By weight, about 37 percent of all municipal solid waste in the United States is paper and paperboard. Many types of paper can be recycled, but different recycling programs have different guidelines, so be sure to check locally for specifics.

Because food and yard waste combined accounts for nearly 25 percent of our solid waste, dealing with it some other way makes good sense. Many, but not all, kitchen scraps make good compost.

Metals account for the fourth largest percentage of our rubbish. Along with beer and soft drink cans, you can recycle “tin cans.” Some communities will also collect aluminum foil, pie pans, TV dinner trays, and lawn furniture.

All kinds of glass containers—heavy or light—can be recycled. In addition, glass can be recycled and reused an indefinite number of times. Recycling centers will not, however, accept light bulbs, ceramic glass, dishes, or plate glass.

Although there are many types of plastics, only two are currently being recycled in any significant quantities: PETE (polyethelene terephthalate), the primary plastic for soda bottles and HDPE (high-density polyethelene), the usual component of milk jugs and detergent bottles.

Purchase products produced from recycled material. Look for the “recycled” symbol. But don’t be confused by the similarity between the “recycled” and “recyclable” symbols. When a product is labeled “recycled,” it has been produced—at least in part—from recycled materials. When it says “recyclable,” that means it can be recycled. However, keep in mind that when labels use the term “recycled,” the percentage of recycled material may be very low or the product and packaging may be entirely made from recylced materials. Also, it’s possible that a package labeled “recyclable” may not be recyclable in your community.