Monday, March 23, 2009
Community Reuse Opportunities '09
Choose to Reuse! Its all about a the choice to make a difference here on Earth. As we gear up to Earth Month, the City of Richland makes CHOOSE TO REUSE this year's theme. You can donate used items, you can keep plastic grocery bags it can even be as simple putting items outside at the end of your driveway with a sign saying FREE. There are several resources available and the City of Richland has provided the following info so its easy to CHOOSE TO REUSE!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
You're Garbage....oh I mean YOUR Garbage
On Monday's Good Morning Northwest we showed you some garbage from the 1970s. *If you missed it click here to see the trash! http://www.kvewtogo.com/news-video/
The 70s rubbish ranged from aluminum pop cans, to plastic food wrappers, to milk cartons, newspapers and even some groovy pjs. I was ASTONISHED, and I don't use that word lightly, at how all of these items were PERFECTLY intact. In fact, the 1978 edition of the TC Herald was totally readable and only looked a few weeks old.
So, why do you care? This trash was buried in a local landfill then dug up 20 years later, totally preserved. Yes. Preserved. Intact. Undamaged. Complete. Again, why do you care? This shows that garbage doesn't just GO AWAY. When you throw something in the trash can its outta sight, outta mind right? Well, maybe, but its not outta this world. Just because you tossed out that plastic fork after eating birthday cake at the office doesn't mean it just dissapears. Your fast food wrapper, drink napkins and the plastic bag you brought it home in don't vanish when you hit the three pointer in the wastebasket.
Follow the path of your garbage and you will find many items remain exactly the same. That is scary. Your stinky, smelly, nasty, probably somewhat recyclable garbage is buried under the earth just hanging out.
Did you think it went away? Its ok if you did. I thought most of my trash went away, decomposed, biodegraded, vaporized whatever. That is until I learned how most landfills work.
In order to biodegrade or decompose, certain factors need to be present. Sunlight, moisture, air and microbes (bacteria). When you bury trash in sealed layers in landfills, its not exposed to sunlight, moisture or air.
Ok, so how long does it take for our trash to break down? You might be surprised. These are not rates for a landfill. These are rates if left out in the open. These are also estimated from sources online :
http://mdc.mo.gov/nomoretrash/facts/ and
http://www.qldlitter.com/litter_facts3.php
‑ Banana Peel: *3‑4 weeks*
‑ *Newspaper: **2 to 4 weeks*, can take longer in landfills due to lack
of microbes; will decompose much faster when wet
‑ Paper Bag: *1 month*
‑ Cardboard: *2 months*
‑ Wool Sock : *1 year*
‑ *Milk carton: **5 years*
‑ *Cigarette butt: **1 to 5 years*
‑ Tinned Steel Can: *50 years*
‑ Aluminum Can: *200‑500 years (But if recycled, it can be reused within
6 weeks!)*
‑ Disposable Diapers: *550 years*
‑ Plastic Bags : *20‑1000 years*
‑ Plastic Jug*: 1 million years*
‑ Styrofoam: *1+ million y**ears*
‑ Glass : *DOESN'T DECOMPOSE...but you can recycle!*
[image: plastic bag][image: plastic water bottle][image: Styrofoam
cups][image:
milk carton]
A scary reminder, and I'll have more info on this topic at a later time, A plastic item can break down. BUT, some of the chemical compounds will NEVER break down, never dissolve, never go away.
There is hope for your garbage. Here is an article I found that has a positive outlook on how we can improve landfills and even use them to generate some green energy:
*http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/02/980220063720.htm*
Please help do your part and REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE!
The 70s rubbish ranged from aluminum pop cans, to plastic food wrappers, to milk cartons, newspapers and even some groovy pjs. I was ASTONISHED, and I don't use that word lightly, at how all of these items were PERFECTLY intact. In fact, the 1978 edition of the TC Herald was totally readable and only looked a few weeks old.
So, why do you care? This trash was buried in a local landfill then dug up 20 years later, totally preserved. Yes. Preserved. Intact. Undamaged. Complete. Again, why do you care? This shows that garbage doesn't just GO AWAY. When you throw something in the trash can its outta sight, outta mind right? Well, maybe, but its not outta this world. Just because you tossed out that plastic fork after eating birthday cake at the office doesn't mean it just dissapears. Your fast food wrapper, drink napkins and the plastic bag you brought it home in don't vanish when you hit the three pointer in the wastebasket.
Follow the path of your garbage and you will find many items remain exactly the same. That is scary. Your stinky, smelly, nasty, probably somewhat recyclable garbage is buried under the earth just hanging out.
Did you think it went away? Its ok if you did. I thought most of my trash went away, decomposed, biodegraded, vaporized whatever. That is until I learned how most landfills work.
In order to biodegrade or decompose, certain factors need to be present. Sunlight, moisture, air and microbes (bacteria). When you bury trash in sealed layers in landfills, its not exposed to sunlight, moisture or air.
Ok, so how long does it take for our trash to break down? You might be surprised. These are not rates for a landfill. These are rates if left out in the open. These are also estimated from sources online :
http://mdc.mo.gov/nomoretrash/facts/ and
http://www.qldlitter.com/litter_facts3.php
‑ Banana Peel: *3‑4 weeks*
‑ *Newspaper: **2 to 4 weeks*, can take longer in landfills due to lack
of microbes; will decompose much faster when wet
‑ Paper Bag: *1 month*
‑ Cardboard: *2 months*
‑ Wool Sock : *1 year*
‑ *Milk carton: **5 years*
‑ *Cigarette butt: **1 to 5 years*
‑ Tinned Steel Can: *50 years*
‑ Aluminum Can: *200‑500 years (But if recycled, it can be reused within
6 weeks!)*
‑ Disposable Diapers: *550 years*
‑ Plastic Bags : *20‑1000 years*
‑ Plastic Jug*: 1 million years*
‑ Styrofoam: *1+ million y**ears*
‑ Glass : *DOESN'T DECOMPOSE...but you can recycle!*
[image: plastic bag][image: plastic water bottle][image: Styrofoam
cups][image:
milk carton]
A scary reminder, and I'll have more info on this topic at a later time, A plastic item can break down. BUT, some of the chemical compounds will NEVER break down, never dissolve, never go away.
There is hope for your garbage. Here is an article I found that has a positive outlook on how we can improve landfills and even use them to generate some green energy:
*http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/02/980220063720.htm*
Please help do your part and REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE!
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