Why should I recycle?
Does my stuff really get recycled?
Can one person really make an impact by recycling?
How can I get my non-recycling wife/boyfriend/friend/co-worker to begin recycling?
Aren’t we already recycling? How much better could we do?
Aren’t there other “more exciting ways” to help fight global warming?
How can I recycle if my community doesn’t offer a recycling program?
Isn’t this campaign a little ridiculous?
Why should I recycle?
Everyone should recycle. It’s easy. It makes a difference. It matters. It creates jobs. It helps save the environment. It sets a good example. Not convinced so easily? Here are some real facts:
- It’s hard to miss a recycling bin now-a-days. In Georgia there are hundreds of curbside recycling programs and even more drop-off locations. Many businesses offer recycling and many event venues and other public spaces also provide recycling containers to capture your materials while you are on the go.
- By adding recycling to your daily routine, you are making a direct impact on the environment:
- For every ton of materials recycled in your community, 1 ½ tons of CO2 is saved.
- Every aluminum can you recycle saves enough power to run your TV for three hours -- that’s three episodes of Dancing with the Stars or six episodes of the Family Guy. And, that’s for every can, and come on, be honest, we know you go through a lot of cans….
- A ton of paper made from recycled fibers conserves 7,000 gallons of water. Want another water shortage? Heck no, so let’s does our part by recycling!
- While 87 percent of Georgians say recycling should be a top priority, over 40 percent of what is in the average Georgia landfill could have been recycled but was wasted instead.
Does my stuff really get recycled?
Yes! If you set out your recyclables at the curb as instructed by your community, it will get recycled. Make sure you know your recycling day and what can and cannot be recycled. The truck that comes by to collect them may look like your trash truck, but it is for recycling. Sometimes people who combine all their recyclables into one cart (known as "single stream" recycling) have doubts when they see it all get thrown into the recycling truck. You may be used to separating everything, but your community is trying to make it easier and more convenient for you, allowing them to go in just one cart or bin in some cases. Your cans, bottles and paper go into the same area of the truck but rest assured, they go to a processing facility and there they are sorted. If you want to know more about this process of recycling (it's pretty cool!), check out our video series on YouTube.
Can one person really make an impact by recycling?
A lot actually. Here are some more facts to prove our point:
- Recycling five pounds of paper (or the equivalent of four Sunday papers) will conserve enough water to “offset” the water used in a typical shower.
- Recycling one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a 100 watt bulb for four hours.
- Recycling even one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV or computer for three hours.
How can I get my non-recycling wife/boyfriend/friend/co-worker to begin recycling?
First, lead by example. You can’t begin to expect someone in your life to recycle if you don’t. This is especially important for children, who mimic everything you do, good and bad. Show whomever it is how you recycle and make it part of your routine with them. For example, if you are co-hosting a party with your boyfriend at his house, bring your curbside bin and offer to collect the cans and bottle, or if you both are vegging out on a Sunday morning, make sure that paper gets put in the bin after you are done fighting over the comics or the Sudoku puzzle. Got a non-recycling co-worker? Ask them to clean up after a big meeting and show them where the office recycling bin is for the used cans and water bottles.
Second, send them a link to this Web site. If they are acting like a character shown here, spouting off ridiculous and lame reasons why they can’t or won’t recycle -- they may be shamed into it, and there’s nothing wrong with that! A recycler is a recycler, whatever their motivation is, we’ll take what we can get.
And, if worse comes to worse, tell them you are leaving if they don’t. Ok, we are kidding about this.
Aren’t we already recycling? How much better could we do?
A recent survey found that approximately 55% of Georgians recycle on an ongoing basis. That is a good number… BUT … that leaves out 45% of the state. That means that 45% of Georgians are throwing away their recyclables. We also took a look at landfills in Georgia and were disappointed to see that 40 percent of what was in there could have been recycled. Could have been but was not. Here are some more facts:
- If Georgians recycled just 1.7 million tons of the 2.6 million tons of recyclables they throw away annually, it would:
- Conserve 4% of the total energy consumed annually within the state – equal to the transportation energy consumed by over 1,000,000 Georgians each year.
- Conserve more than 7 million barrels of oil, calculated at an annual savings of almost $700 million.
- Each year, Georgians waste the equivalent of 13 billion gallons of water by land filling 1.9 million tons of paper.
- If Georgians recycled just half of the paper thrown away each year, we could save 6.6 billion gallons of water or enough water for every one of us to take 36 showers.
Aren’t there other “more exciting ways” to help fight global warming?
Sure. You could buy a hybrid, change out your light bulbs, use re-usable grocery bags on your weekly Target runs, carpool to work, etc. Here is list. We know recycling is not as hip or quite frankly, as sexy as some of the other green initiatives out there. And that’s ok with us. But what’s not ok is saying you don’t recycle and giving a lame excuse. And one awful one we hear a lot is that recycling doesn’t help the environment.
So let us be clear: Recycling does help fight global warming because it helps reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions, it minimizes the amount of materials we send to landfills and it reduces the use of natural resources. Check out our printable/emailable “why should I recycle?” document for more facts.
How can I recycle if my community doesn’t offer a recycling program?
There is no doubt that curbside recycling provides the most convenience when it comes to recycling. However, not every community offers it, or you may live in an apartment building where it is not available. You can recycle using a drop-off center, you can recycle at work (most large companies offer, at a minimum, office paper recycling and more and more are offering can and bottle options)… AND you can recycle when you are away from home: at parks, events and other public spaces. Use our zip code locator to find all of the recycling options available to you. There’s something for everyone, you just have to find it.
Isn’t this campaign a little ridiculous?
Well, yes. And quite frankly, so are the 45% of Georgians who don’t recycle. That’s the point. Recycling is about as easy and convenient as it gets. And, it’s made available in some form nearly everywhere. There really is no good excuse out there. And if you find one, we’d love to hear it!