In the United States alone, Americans throw away approximately 195 million tons of trash each year. Although some of the discarded items, such as glass, newspaper and plastic products are recycled, nearly 80% ultimately ends up in the landfill. Sadly, of that amount, another 80% could have been recycled.
Besides being an eyesore and using up valuable land space, landfills can produce alarming levels of leachate (the liquid that is produced from precipitation seeping through the waste) and methane gas, both of which are generally toxic to the environment. On the economic side, landfills contain a wealth of wasted energy savings.
According to the Aluminum Association and U.S. Department of Commerce, 99.3 billion tons of aluminum cans were produced in 2003. Of that amount, only 44%, or 653,000 tons was recycled. This amounted to approximately 120 trillion btus of energy saved in processing and transportation, which is equivalent to 21 million barrels of crude oil.
Whether you want to lessen your carbon foot print, save money, or simply make our planet a safer and more beautiful place to live, here are some simple things you and your family can start doing today to not only contribute to our environment's overall well-being, but add to your pocketbook as well.
1. Spread ashes from fireplace and charcoal grills around acid-loving trees and shrubs. There are plenty of garden products on the market that promise to increase your soil's pH level to accommodate acid-loving landscape trees and shrubs. These fertilizers can be expensive. If you burn wood or use a charcoal grill on a regular basis, save the ash and it can be used as a natural addition to your landscape that won't cost you a dime. Spruce, pine, azaleas, rhododendrons, holly, juniper, heather, creeping phlox and lily of the valley are just a few of the trees, shrubs and plants that will benefit from a light sprinkling of wood or charcoal ash around the base.
2. Use empty egg cartons for sorting and storing beads, jewelry, small screws and nails, hold wet craft paint, buttons, sewing notions. These are just a few suggestions. Use your imagination and I'm sure you will come up with many more uses for these empty containers.
3. Water plants and rinse hair with saved rain water. Place a clean, empty five-gallon bucket under your eaves where rain water generally flows. Once it is full, you can use this naturally soft water to hydrate your house or garden plants. A rain water rinse for your hair will soften and add manageability to your hairstyle. Best of all, it's free!
4. Recycle aluminum cans for profit. It takes approximately 33 soda cans to make one pound of aluminum. Scrap aluminum is currently selling for about $0.80 per pound. Utilize a separate trash container for empty aluminum cans for easy collection and make a trip to your local recycling center. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you can earn in just a few weeks' time - and you'll be helping to save energy at the same time.
5. Remelt wax scraps from leftover candles to make new ones. We all love the ambiance that candles create in our homes. But once you are down to the last inch or so, most of us just toss it away. Save these bits and pieces in a plastic bag and once you have accumulated a few, you can melt them back down in a double boiler or the microwave to make a new candle. You can purchase candle wicks at craft or hobby stores and use an empty plastic yogurt container to create a new candle.
6. Use envelopes from junk mail for note paper. If you receive a lot of "junk" mail like we do on a daily basis, most of it is unwanted credit card solicitations or offers we didn't solicit - into the trash it goes. Save the outer envelope and any self-addressed envelopes to record grocery lists or "to-do" memos.
7. Buy yogurt, cottage cheese and sour cream in bulk. The next time you grocery shop, look for yogurt, cottage cheese and sour cream in large, five-pound containers. The per-ounce price will generally be less than if you bought the same product in smaller quantities. If you take yogurt or cottage cheese to work each day, transfer from the larger container to a smaller container for easy transport to your workplace.
8. Use grass clippings and leaves for mulch around plants and trees. As they break down, grass clippings and leaves provide essential nutrients to your garden plants and landscape trees. Distribute a light application around the base of these plants each time you mow or rake. Make sure to keep this natural mulch at least 2 inches away from the base of your plant to discourage potential rot or disease.
9. Save monthly magazines and give to relatives, friends, nursing homes. This is a great way to share information and entertainment to your loved ones or people in your community. Magazine subscriptions can be expensive - but most of the content is still valuable and can be enjoyed for many months to come. If you are concerned about privacy, simply remove the mailing tag or use a permanent marker to eliminate any personal information about yourself before taking the periodicals to another location.
10. Save bubble wrap, packing paper and mailing boxes for holiday gifts and shipping. Online shopping junkies are constantly receiving packages from UPS, Fed Ex or the US Postal Service. Save the boxes and packing material for sending your own Christmas or birthday packages - just be sure to remove any UPC bar code information from the outside of the boxes before you have the packages shipped, or they may be inadvertently sent back to you in error.
Sources: Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet CDFS-111; Container Recycling Institute (http://www.container-recycling.org/)