Waste Not, Want Not...

Is garbage interesting? If you doubt that it is, then check out this link for interesting facts on waste: http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html

Among the stunners:

• Inthe U.S., 4.39 pounds of trash per day and up to 56 tons of trash per year are created by the average person.
• Only about one-tenth of all solid garbage in the United States gets recycled.
  Every year we fill enough garbage trucks to form a line that would stretch from the earth, halfway to the moon.
• Each day the United States throws away enough trash to fill 63,000 garbage trucks.
  Almost 1/3 of the waste generated the U.S. is packaging.
• Every 4 quarts of oil discarded during an average oil change can contaminate 1 million gallons of water
• Recycling an aluminum soda can saves 96% of the energy used to make a can from ore, and produces 95% less air pollution and 97% less water pollution.
• It takes the energy equivalent of half a soda can of gasoline to produce one soda can from bauxite ore.

Our family are not hard core environmentalists, but we try to do what we can. We've been able to incorporate recycling as a fun activity that our kids enjoy. You doubt that little kids would enjoy recycling? Just let them plop a glass jar into a glass recycling orbit: my kids can't get enough of the shattering sound.

Recycling isn't that difficult. It makes a difference, and is one of the things within an individual's control that really helps reduce America's energy appetite, keeps the environment clean, slows the expansion of landfills (i/e saves your tax dollars), etc. If not for the sake of my kids, then recycle for your own greedy self serving reasons, but just do it. It's in your best interests.