Plastic is everywhere. While it is a huge convenience in our lives, it also creates a major problem: how to get rid of it. Thankfully, due to advances in recycling technology, we don’t have to—we just need to be educated and committed enough to recycle properly. Recycling is really very simple; all it takes is a sense of awareness about your waste.
The Container Recycling Institute reports that 4.3 billion pounds of the 2 most common types of plastic were wasted in 2004, while only about 1 billion pounds were recycled—not to mention the 4 other common kinds of plastic we come into contact with daily. This means each person wastes almost 160 plastic bottles per year. These staggering facts demonstrate we have a long way to go to raise awareness about the importance of recycling our plastic. There are many uses for it. Products made from recycled plastic range from clothing and carpeting to cameras and playground equipment, and scientists are discovering more uses every day.
Recycling is easy once you get into the habit. Make a conscious effort to pay attention to which bins you throw your bottles and containers into and soon it will become second nature!
Take Action / Next Steps
Ready to start recycling your plastic? Sign up for the goal on ecomii Action and track your progress.
Carry your own water bottle and reduce plastic waste! Check out this tip from ecomii about the impact of having a reusable water bottle.
Support recycling by buying products made of recycled plastic. The American Chemistry Council put together a great directory of recycled plastic products, so you can find plenty of Earth-friendly merchandise.
Did you know that Americans already recycle nearly a third of their plastic waste?
We’ve come a long way. Our rate of recycling has nearly doubled in the past 15 years,
says the EPA.
Did you know the number of landfills in the United States has halved since
1994?
There were 1,694 landfills in the United States in 2005, according to the
EPA. Compare that number with the 3,558 landfills in existence in 1994, or the nearly 8,000 landfills taking up our
precious earth in 1988. Recycling makes a huge difference!
5. US EPA. [2005] “Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States.” Available from: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/msw99.htm#links [18 July 2008]
