Liz Swafford: Recycling can make a difference

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Yes, you can make a positive impact on the planet by doing just one thing differently each day. Just follow these three simple words as you make decisions about the products you use, “Reduce, reuse, recycle.”

For example, you can choose to recycle your single-use disposable plastic water bottle, or reuse it by filling it up with fresh water from the tap. Better yet, you can use a refillable glass or stainless steel water bottle and reduce the amount of waste in your home. Yes, you can easily make a difference.

“But, Liz, I’m just one person,” you may be thinking right now. “Does one water bottle really matter?”

Of course it matters. One water bottle today can add up to seven by the end of the week, and more than 30 by the end of the month. By the end of the year you could use up to 365 plastic water bottles, which turns out to be about 20 pounds of plastic. And, that’s just from one person.

The easiest way to make a difference is to recycle your plastic water bottles so they can become something new. Recycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its useful life and re-manufacturing all or part of it to make a new product. So 365 plastic water bottles that are recycled can become the equivalent of 19 soft T-shirts or fiberfill for 26 fluffy ski jackets. Other products made from water bottles include sweaters, sneakers, sleeping bag filler and even carpet.

If you throw away your plastic water bottles, that’s 20 pounds of useful material that has to be buried in the landfill here in Whitfield County. Can you imagine how much your family throws away each year? If you reuse some of the bottles, that does reduce the amount you throw away, but there will still be waste at the end of the year. Another way to reduce would be to use a reusable, refillable water bottle made from aluminum, stainless steel, glass or durable plastic.

Reduce, reuse and recycle. It’s simple. And, if everyone does just a little bit each day we can make a big, positive impact on the health of the planet and in our community.

“I want to make a difference, but what should I do next?” you ask. Awesome! I’m glad you want to help.

The good news is that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. I’m here to guide you and give you some practical, eco-friendly living tips each week through this column, “Recycle & Reuse.” I’ll cover topics such as fun reuse-it crafts, national and local events with an eco-friendly theme, how to make zero waste lunches, what happens to the things you recycle, and enjoying the environment we’re helping to preserve with our families.

If you have any questions about what to recycle in Whitfield County or how you can be more eco-friendly you can call the recycling center at (706) 278-5001 or email me at lswafford@dwswa.org. I may answer your question in an upcoming column.

Liz Swafford is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority.