Backwords is Forward!

Practically everyone who has paid attention to the Yuba-Sutter Curbside Recycling Program in recent years has heard about those “three R’s” Most People look at this slogan as merely a handy way to remember the fundamental’s of being an environmental responsible citizen much as the original “three R’s-reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic describes the fundamentals of a good education.

How true it is then that we praise ourselves for recycling, yet we don’t consider that recycling is just a bandage, whereas reducing and reusing can really heal the wound. We wonder, how did we ever survive without fruit snack packs, juice boxes, individually wrapped cheese slices and disposable diapers? Was there really a time when parents scooped applesauce from a big jar into a smaller hard plastic container and poured juice from a large bottle into a thermos for their kid’s school lunch?

Maybe we need to go back to that time, so we can move forward in our solutions to environmental and waste management challenges. One way to do that is to think about what and how much we buy, use and throw away so we can figure out ways to minimize those practices. What works for someone else may not work for you. Only you can decide what lifestyle changes you can make to help reduce waste, which in turn will save natural resources, reduce pollution, save energy, etc. You’ll need to realize that some changes require sacrifice. But remember, what’s food for the environment can often be good for the wallet. Reducing and reusing naturally requires that you buy less.

Sometimes you have to take one step backwards to move three steps forward. But in the case of waste reduction, this can be a good thing. Recycling is good, but we can do better………..much better…


The Employee Owners of Recology Yuba-Sutter celebrates Earth Day 365 days a year!












Well, Whaddaya Know?

What do you know about trash?
1. About how many average tons of trash does the Yuba Sutter Disposal, Inc. Transfer Station receive in one day?

A. 5
B. 55
C. 650
D. 5,500

2. What kind of trash makes up the biggest percentage of residential waste (garbage that comes from homes like yours)?

A. Food
B. Plastics
C. Paper products
D. Glass

3. How many trees will be saved by recycling one ton of newspaper?

A. 5
B. 17
C. 63
D. 100

4. How many recycled milk jugs does it take to make a 6-foot wide park bench?

A. 50
B. 150
C. 1,050
D. 10,500

5. If we bury an aluminum can in the landfill, how long will it take to decompose?

A. 7-10 months
B. 7 years
C. 25-50 years
D. 200-500 years


Answers
1-C, 2-C, 3-B, 4-C, 5-D







A Few Interesting Earth Day facts about Americans Waste

We throw away enough aluminum each year that we could rebuild our entire commercial air fleet every three months.

We throw away enough office paper each year to build a 12-foot high wall of paper from Sacramento to New York

We throw away enough plastic soda bottles each year to circle the earth four times

WE throw enough motor oil each year to fill 120 Supertankers

(Source CIMWB)

Published 4/17/13