Changing the Way We Think About Recycling and Our Trash

 recycling n : the act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products  revolution n : a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving

 Every little bit counts! Recycling is not about all or nothing.  Recycling includes more than just the typical paper, cans, and bottles.  Practice makes perfect.  One person CAN make a difference.

 Aluminum Cans  Steel Cans  Newspaper  Magazines and slick inserts  Corrugated Cardboard  Paper and Paperboard  Plastics  Glass

A great deal of items that CAN be made from recycled items, are still being produced from virgin materials. The more we buy recycled products, the more demand we create. Look for the recycled symbol when shopping for products.

Purchasing products with less packaging  Buy in bulk  Opt to receive e-bills and e-statements instead of the paper ones, and pay your bills online instead of using checks and envelopes  Purchase products packaged with recyclable material  Avoid using disposable items  Use refillable razors  Purchase fresh fruits  Use products that are concentrated  Purchase items that are refillable or returnable  Use reusable gift bags  Take cloth or mesh shopping bags

In simple terms, global warming refers to an overabundance of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. This carbon dioxide traps heat and acts like a blanket warming the earth. Humans are contributing to the excess amounts of carbon dioxide present in our atmosphere in many ways.

A few small changes today can be the difference between a healthy or unhealthy planet for our children and grandchildren. Get involved, spread the word, make these changes and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

 Recycle Aluminum - Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours  Recycle Steel "Tin" Cans - A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 0,453 kilograms of steel.  Recycle Paper - Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 1.44 cubic metres of oil, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 26.5 cubic metres of water.  Recycle Plastic - Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.  Recycle Glass - The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.  Recycle Your Used Motor Oil – 7.6 liters of used motor oil can generate enough electricity to power the average home for one day, cook 48 meals in a microwave oven, blow-dry a person’s hair at least 216 times.

 Use Recycled Paper - Using 100% post-consumer recycled paper for your printer or copy machine keeps 2.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide out of our atmosphere per ream of paper.  Reuse and/or Recycle Your Grocery Bags - When 1 ton of plastic bags is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 1.3 cubic meters of oil are saved.  Use a Reusable Cloth, Hemp or Mesh Shopping Bag - A sturdy, reusable bag needs only be used 11 times to have a lower environmental impact than using 11 disposable plastic bags.  Buy Products with the Least Amount of Packaging - Reducing trash by purchasing products with minimal packaging saves 378 kilograms of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere.

A national recycling rate of 30% reduces greenhouse gas emissions as much as removing nearly cars from the road.

 Turn off Lights, Appliances and Other Items Operated by Electricity When They Aren't in Use  Unplug Appliances and Electric Items When Not in Use  Run Your Dishwasher Only When it is Full  Run Your Washer and Dryer for Full Loads of Laundry Only  Take Shorter Showers  Check the Thermostat on Your Water Heater  Check Your Home Thermostat  Keep Your Tires Inflated  Buy Local Produce

 A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days. That's closed loop recycling at its finest!  Recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to run a TV for three hours - or the equivalent of 1.89 liters of gasoline.  More aluminum goes into beverage cans than any other product.  Once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks.  An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now!  There is no limit to the amount of times an aluminum can be recycled.  Once aluminum was more valuable than gold!  A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 453 grams of steel.

 To produce each week's newspapers, trees must be cut down.  If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about trees each year!  If you had a 15-year-old tree and made it into paper grocery bags, you'd get about 700 of them.  The average household throws away separate pieces of paper each year. Most is packaging and junk mail.  Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 1.44 cubic meters of oil, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 26.5 cubic meters of water.  The construction costs of a paper mill designed to use waste paper is 50 to 80% less than the cost of a mill using new pulp.

 Bulgarians use plastic bottles every hour! Most of them are thrown away!  Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as sea creatures every year!  Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.  Bulgarians throw away Styrofoam coffee cups every year.

 Every month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant supermarket. All of these jars are recyclable!  The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials.  A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years or more to decompose - and even longer if it's in the landfill.  Mining and transporting raw materials for glass produces about kilograms of waste for every ton of glass that is made. If recycled glass is substituted for half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%.

 About one-third of an average dump is made up of packaging material!  Out of ever 10 leva spent buying things, 1 lev (10%) goes for packaging that is thrown away. Packaging represents about 65% of household trash.

 Recently 840 students from schools in Sofia, area – Lulin Hosing Complex, signed “Climate Change: Bulgarian Students Call to Action,” under the auspices of the 137 Secondary School – Sofia - Climate Initiative. The document calls on the Bulgarian government to pass national legislation requiring sufficient reductions in carbon dioxide emissions to fight global warming and argues that these are necessary to protect our planet from its harmful effects.