Trash facts (from Sedgwick County Environmental Resources): 44% of junk mail is never opened 1/3 of all garbage is packaging 200 million gallons of motor oil are improperly disposed of each year 500 million oil filters need to be disposed of each year 359 million magazines and 24 million newspapers are published each year An estimated additional 5 million tons of waste are generated during the holidays The average American office worker goes through 500 disposable cups each year
ALL of these items listed above - in fact, just about everything we use - can be recycled. Please click here for an interesting article "How to Recycle Anything" from realsimple.com
When we recycle everything possible, and compost our kitchen scraps and yard waste, we cut down our waste going to the land fill tremendously. Some people actually only need trash pickup once or twice a month.
YOU CAN:
Have limited items picked up at the curb by a trash company for $1.00 - $3.00 per month. The Department of Health & Environment has started this website for us to keep up with the fast changing recycling programs: www.kansasrecycles.org/
Or take your recycling to a drop-off place.
Pro-KS/Miller Recycling is a Non-Profit organization that takes almost everything but toxic waste. They have had volunteers that collected scrap metal and turned this in for money to aid the homeless. For further information you may reach them at www.recyclewichita.org/or 316-269-1359.
Another comprehensive source for Sedgwick County recycling is: The Sedgwick County site:www.sedgwickcounty.org/
For household hazardous waste, go to the above site for Sedgwick County and click on the hazardous waste button on the right.
It is very easy setting up recycling in your home. All you need is a small area to put containers in. You can set up bags or containers for each item, or throw it all together and sort it at the drop-off. If you are doing curbside, your trash company will have their own guidelines. Start today to feel better about the waste we all generate!
Another resource is FreeCycle athttp://freecycle.org/an internet based sharing of items you no longer what or items you are looking for. This is an international web of local people.
For information on handling and recycling compact fluorescent light bulbs: www.lamprecycle.org/
