The average American produces 4.5 pounds of garbage each day, more
than 3 pounds of which are sent to landfills or combustion facilities.
The mountain of refuse we generate expanded from 205 million tons in
1990 to 236 million tons in 2003.
Recycling of glass and aluminum has fallen since 1995. Of the
billion aluminum beverage cans purchased annually, three-quarters of a
million tons of empties end up in landfills or incinerators. This is a
criminal waste because 95 percent of the material and electricity needed
to make a container can be saved by recycling one. (Sources: USEPA;
Container Recycling Institute)
Although it is of utmost importance to reduce our consumption of
goods, it is also essential that we recycle everything possible.
ELECTRONIC WASTE
Electronic Waste is accumulating almost three times faster than
ordinary household trash.
Computers: Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University estimate
that at least 60 million PCs have already been buried in U.S.
landfills, and according to the National Safety Council, nearly 250
million computers will become obsolete between 2004 and 2009, or
136,000 a day. A 2004 United Nations University study found that it
takes about 1.8 tons of raw materials, including fossil fuels, water
and ore, to manufacture a desktop PC monitor. (In weight, that
equals material needed to manufacture a mid-sized car). Mining is
the largest industrial polluter. To supply the demand for copper,
gold silver and palladium, African and Asian nations are doing
enormous damage to their lands, forests, wildlife, and human
health.
E-waste accounts for 70% of the toxics in municipal dumps. A
cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor contains two to eight pounds of
lead. Printed circuit boards are dotted with antimony, silver,
chromium, zinc, tin and copper.
Cell Phones: Americans discard about 100 million cell phones a
year. Some are donated to charity or refurbished and sold overseas,
but most end up in landfills.
RECYCLE RIGHT !
60 to 80 percent of e-waste collected for recycling is shipped
overseas, mostly to China, India and Pakistan, according to Silicon
Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC), an advocacy group. About half are
cleaned up and sold, but the remainder are smashed up by laborers
who collect the metals by hand, risking serious health effects and
creating serious air and water pollution.
Recycling computers is difficult and expensive but some companies
have begun take-back programs. The Computer TakeBack Campaign (www.computertakeback.com)
calls for manufacturers to make “extended producer responsibility” (EPF)
part of their credo. In Europe, manufacturers are required to use
EPF, which is encouraging better design so that the gadgets are
easier to recycle.
If a computer is less than five years old it can be donated to
organizations that will refurbish and find it a new home Visit
www.techsoup.org/recycle/donate or www.sharetechnology,org
Sources: www.TexasRecycles Day.org
Elizabeth Royte, e-gad!, Smithsonian magazine, Aug. 2005
PLASTICS
- Each of us uses about 200 pounds of plastic per year. About 60
pounds of it is packaging, which we simply throw away.
- On average, half the cost of a product is packaging.
- Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour and throw
away 25 billion Styrofoam cups a year.
- Only one percent of plastics can be economically recycled.
- Plastic production uses petroleum and is the most polluting
manufacturing process.
- Plastic does not decompose, is found in the most remote places
on the planet and kills wildlife.
- Phthalates given off by plastic are harmful to humans and other
animals.
Avoid plastic when possible, and recycle whenever possible. The
only plastics that are economically recyclable are bottles with
numbers 1 or 2 in the recycle triangle on the bottom.
ALUMINUM CONTAINERS
The ore used for aluminum has to be shipped from Australia and
aluminum requires such huge amounts of electricity to manufacture it
is sometimes called “solid electricity”. 95 percent of the material
and energy needed for an aluminum container can be saved when it has
been recycled from another. Aluminum is precious and must never end
up in the trash.
PAPER
Forest destruction is driven by consumer waste of paper and
manufacturers over-packaging their products. 22 percent of the
timber logged from public lands goes to pulp and paper mills.
Americans use 735 pounds per person per year, which grows about two
pounds per year. There are 598 paper and paperboard mills and 190
pulp mills in the US. Experts predict that 70 percent of the native
forests in the Southeastern US will be converted to tree farms by
2020.
After using every piece of paper as many times as possible,
always recycle it.
For a list of ecologically friendly paper products, visit the
Natural Resources Defense Council’s website at www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue/asp
or
www.conservaatree.com/paper/PaperGuide/Tissue/consumerbath.shtml
HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD WASTE
Fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, paint, solvents, pesticides,
herbicides, flammable liquids, and a host of other hazardous
products are lurking in your garage. You need to dispose of them
but you know it is out of the question to put them down the drain or
into the landfill. The City of Denton is beginning a program for
the proper disposal and reuse of these materials. They will provide
curb-side pickup and are planning a facility at the landfill at
which citizens can pick up free approved discards from other
citizens. We’ll keep you posted.
COOKING OIL
Pouring cooking oil into sinks or storm drains can cause plumbing
problems and is one of the biggest culprits of clogging up municipal
sewage systems.
Several dozen North Texas cities take part in regional collection
programs through the Fort Worth Environmental Collection Center
(817-871-5257) and the Dallas Area Household Hazardous Waste Network
(214-553-1765). Used cooking oil should be stored in a plastic
container with a screw-top lid.
Denton collects used cooking oil at the city landfill during
regular business hours. 940-349-8420
Lewisville: 972-349-3503
