Saving Green by Going Green
By Jennifer Arbuckle
In a time of economic concern, it behooves one to acknowledge that taking the time to consider the environment, in the forms of reducing, reusing and recycling, can significantly reduce the weary spender’s costs.
So before all the presents have been appropriately ripped open and, depending on the gift, have either been gouged open, passed around or discreetly kept in the box for the stealthy return, please read the following facts and tips to help ease the holiday strain on your pocket book and on the environment.
Recycling Facts
• An average California household throws away over 34 pounds of plastic water and soda bottles each year.
• Every 90 days a recycled aluminum can makes its way back on the shelf as something useful.
• 80-100 years - that's the lifespan of an aluminum can that gets tossed into the trash instead of a recycling bin.
• 700 years - that's how long a trashed plastic bottle will sit in a landfill taking up space, refusing to degrade.
• 1 Million Years - Put a glass bottle in a landfill and that's how long it'll sit there doing nothing. Recycle it and it can live forever.
Products Made from Recycled Bottles and Cans
• Plastic - Recycled material products made from Plastic Bottles:
o T-shirts: Fourteen 20 oz. plastic bottles yield enough fiber for an extra large T-shirt.
o Carpet: It takes 14 20 oz. plastic bottles to make one square foot of carpet.
o Fleece Sweater: It takes 63 20 oz. plastic bottles to make a sweater.
o Jacket Fiberfill: Fourteen 20 oz. plastic bottles yield enough fiberfill for a ski jacket.
o Sleeping Bag Fiberfill: It takes 85 20 oz. plastic bottles to make enough fiberfill for a sleeping bag.
• Glass - Recycled material products made from Glass Bottles:
o Glassware
o New glass containers
o Decorative home decor
o Fiberglass Insulation
o Tile
• Aluminum - Recycled material products made from Aluminum Cans:
o Picture frames
o Decorative home decor: bowls, vases, etc.
o Baseball bats
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