Because of children like these ...
Places like this ...
And facts like these ...
The average American generates 4.3 pounds of waste per day, 1.6 pounds more than in 1960.
It takes about a thousand years for plastic bottles to break down naturally. (That's an educated guess. No one has ever seen one break down completely yet.
The U.S. buried or burned more than 166 million tons of recyclable resources – paper, plastic, metals, glass and organic materials – in landfills and incinerators last year.
The average American discards 65 lbs of clothing a year. Five years ago, clothing represented 7% of the trash in landfills; today, 30%.
46,000 pieces of plastic trash are present on every square mile of the ocean today.
Virtually every piece of plastic ever created still exists on the Earth today.
Half the world’s tropical and temperate forests are now gone.
More than 2 million people globally die prematurely every year due to outdoor and indoor air pollution.
Every year in the U.S. nearly 200 billion recyclable beverage containers are sold, two-thirds of which are landfilled, incinerated or littered.
I will ...
Earth Day
2016
Posted with Blogsy
It's not just in the US that we need to consider these awful facts. We are getting better at recycling in the UK but still have a long, long way to go.
ReplyDeleteWe recycle here. The garbage man collects it.
ReplyDeleteThose are some great statics.
We are mindful of the waste we create and try to keep it under control. We do buy bottled water as our local water tastes like a swamp. Other than that we avoid plastic. What I've noticed is that after 40-50 years of educating people about littering and recycling the waste problem is worse than ever. I don't know what the solution is.
ReplyDeleteWe do have separate bins for recycling here in the UK but we still have a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteWish everybody could read this post. We recycle too! It is scary to think that every piece of plastic ever made still exists!! So sorry about your garden (your last post) I can't imagine finding an Armadillo in the garden.
ReplyDeleteinteresting post today I have collected rubbish with my students
ReplyDeleteRe-cycle bins are used here.
ReplyDeleteAlso charity bins are found mostly in car parks near rail stations for
old clothes, furniture etc to be collected by the Salvation
Army, St.Vincent de Paul societies etc for the needy or you
can take what you no longer need to their various depots or shops.
Interesting statistics.
Colin
Good focus on just one environmental problem. It's so simple.
ReplyDeleteBrill post Cynthia so well covered. We have a recycling bin which is twice as big as our regular bin and it is virtually full every week, packaging is a massive problem, I must try to do better to avoid, I am glad it goes off to be recycled in the city at the beach it is collected every other week. I was astounded by the stats on clothing :(
ReplyDeleteWren x
Great post and I like the "Rethink" graphic. I might print it (on recycled paper) and post it in my home as a reminder. I consider myself very 'green' especially with trash, water, electricity, thrift shoping and repurposing, but reminders always help.
ReplyDeleteI guess what is optional now, as far as recycling and not using plastic goes, will one day compulsory. It's a shame that it will probably have to arrive at a critical point first. I just don't understand why people can't be bothered to do whatever they can. Good Earth Day post Cynthia.
ReplyDeleteWe recycle everything we can. It is a conscious effort, but must not be for everyone. Yesterday whilst traveling we saw many crews with reflective vests cleaning ditches along the roadways...that should be a no brainer don't throw stuff out your window and watch your load in the back of a truck. Great post today:)
ReplyDelete