We get up every morning and we are bombarded by the messages of how we should live green and be eco friendly. We can see it when we turn on the television, we see the messages on billboards and we see the message in reusable shopping bags when we checkout during a grocery store trip. If you think about it, the term reusable isn t that different from the term recyclable. For instance, we recycle the bag when we use it over and over. The only time we recycle plastic and paper bags is when we use them for garbage bags. However, some stores have bins near the entrance where people can recycle their bags. Is this the only way to be eco friendly? There is more that you can do in terms of recycling.
Many cities have recycling centers but many people think that recycling is a waste of their time. The reality is is that it s not. When you recycle your aluminum cans, you make a huge positive impact on the environment. Manufacturing aluminum takes a lot of energy to do but is very cheap and quite plentiful. However, to recycle this material, it just takes 60 percent of the energy that s used to produce raw aluminum.
Recycling other kinds of metal cans and plastic bottles is pretty much the same thing. While aluminum, foam, plastic and steel used for food products doesn t cause a lot of pollution in landfills, not recycling does cause pollution from the excessive refining of these raw materials.
Bear in mind that there are some household products that can pollute and these need to be recycled. Cadmium and nickel are huge toxic industrial wastes so the EPA will monitor plants that use the two chemicals. However, people purchase millions of NiCAD batteries every year, only to throw them away where they wind up in landfills. Remember that these batteries aren t just found in double A and triple A; they are also found in cell phone batteries, power tools, car batteries and more.
Many people are opting to purchase fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. However, what people don t realize is that these bulbs have mercury in them. Seems a little ironic that people would buy these for their homes especially since they can heavily contaminate the environment. All too often, these bulbs are making their way into the globe s landfills and if broken, they can release the mercury. What are we to do about this?
In some stores, there are displays and bins that encourage consumers to drop old batteries and light bulbs so that they may be recycled. It s important to remember that what stores will offer for recycling varies so make yourself a list or search the Internet to see if there is already a list made for your city.
Cities will also have a list of where you can take these and other items for recycling. Many auto care companies will dispose of batteries, oil and tires for your car for you; some states make this a requirement. Don t think law; instead think eco friendly. Purchase yourself those organic cotton totes and be careful what you choose to throw out.
Author Resource:
Eliza Reeder writes articles that deal with environmental concerns and eco-friendly living. She encourages everyone to help protect our planet's future by doing things like using reusable bags. You can learn more at http://www.reusablebagsdepot.com
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