Recycling 101

Peeps around the world produce waste every hour of every day. That's why it's so important to get schooled in recycling!

Talking Trash

When garbage is thrown out, it either gets burned at incineration plants or compacted and buried in landfills (deep pits dug in the earth). Burning trash produces toxic ash that's harmful to our environment, and there's already so much garbage in our landfills that we're running out of space! So the solution lies in recycling - the more we recycle, the less garbage ends up in landfills and incineration plants.

The Three R's

Recycling is the system of collecting, sorting and reprocessing old material into usable raw materials. There are three ways to take action against household waste - reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reduce the amount of trash you throw out.

Reuse bags and containers, and buy reusable products.

Recycle anything that's recyclable, and compost food scraps and yard trimmings.

So What Can You Recycle?

Paper (magazines, newspaper, phone books, cardboard).

Yard trimmings (grass, leaves, branches).

Glass (bottles, jars).

Aluminum (beverage containers).

Plastic (milk jugs, soda bottles, detergent containers).

Remember to rinse cans and bottles before recycling them!

Help Your Garden Grow

If you take a look at your garbage, you'll find a lot of stuff that can actually benefit your backyard! Kitchen scraps (fruit and veggie peels, coffee grounds, teabags) and yard mulch can be recycled into garden fertilizer. This is called composting, which is basically nature's way of recycling. All you have to do is throw everything into a big bin on a level, well-drained spot in your yard. Over time, bacteria and fungi will decompose this waste and turn it into valuable gardening soil that prevents weed growth.

Did U Know?

The average American throws out seven and a half pounds of garbage every day!

Each year, the U.S. generates enough plastic film to shrink-wrap the state of Texas.

Seventeen trees are saved when one tonne of paper is recycled.

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Read more: Our Planet