You may not be aware of this, but recycling is not just a way to fill your pockets with nickels and dimes. Let’s face it, America sucks at recycling and, although the numbers have been better, we still sit at 18th place in the world. In fact, in Sweden recently, the country announced that they have officially run out of garbage due to their revolutionary efforts regarding recycling and trash handling. So, we really need to step it up, guys. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to raise our 18th place in the next year that don’t cost an arm and a leg in the process.
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But, it’s just trash, isn’t it?
I wish I could say that the trash you throw away on a daily basis is just that, however, the bottles and plastic that you toss in the bin actually lasts for a whopping 450 years before it is finally degraded. On top of this, some bottles can even take over 1000 years to biodegrade and, all the time, they sit in our landfills and our oceans forming a severely non eco-friendly environment, wreaking havoc not only on our wildlife – as recent news of a whale found dying off the coast of Norway with 30 plastic bags found in its stomach – but on the quality of our air and soil given.
Take action on trash.
It may not be easy and may take some time out of your busy schedule, but the impacts are immense and, by doing so, you can rest assured that a healthier world awaits your children and their children alike. In order to create an eco-friendly home and a lifestyle that works with our natural environment and not against it, you must be dedicated and make choices each day that align with your commitment for a better, healthier world.
So here’s what you, and everybody in your household and workplace, should be doing:
Recycling
By keeping track of the things you throw away and separating the recyclables from the real trash, you can begin to encourage recycling at home and at work. Recycling makes an immediate impact, directing resources away from landfill so that it may be converted into reusable material once again.
Fortunately, 2017 is truly a year of energy-efficient advancements and at CES this year, multiple green tech breakthroughs were displayed including a smart device that connects to your trash can to help you keep track of your recycling and even form a shopping list as well.
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Making a compost pile or worm farm
This is a tough one to tackle if you live in an apartment or small space, however dealing with organic waste matter is essential as throwing food scraps into the trash is one of the primary causes of landfill-generated methane emissions.
So if you have room in your backyard make sure to create space where you can make a compost pile by either purchasing a compost bin or building one yourself with old wooden pallets. And if you don’t have room, why not give worm farming a go?
Choosing reusable products
By buying opting for reusable products, you can ensure that you are not wasting countless plastic and cardboard items and, in turn, will help to reduce the amount of paper and plastic sent to landfills yearly. Making the switch from disposable products to reusable items such as stainless steel water bottles, glass jars for food storage and even cloth napkins can help greatly when trying to reduce your carbon footprint.
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It may be difficult to find ways to truly make an impact in a nation of waste, however, by making concerted efforts to understand your consumer habits and just how much you send to landfill each year, you can begin to understand what’s driving your wasteful habits and take steps to mitigate your environmental damage.
It’s only February so there’s still plenty of time to turn this year around and make it your healthiest, happiest and greenest one yet!
