RECYCLE ME Week 3 Trivia Challenge Winner!

Monday, March 16th I asked the following questions for a chance to win an I AM GREEN shirt:

QUESTIONS:
1. What does "Post-Consumer" mean in reference to Post-Consumer Recycled Paper?

2. Can you compost paper?

3. What material accounts for the largest component of waste in landfills?

The Answers:
1. Post-Consumer is material discarded after consumer use such as old magazines, old telephone directories, and residential mixed paper.

2. Yes, you can compost paper.

3. Paper is the largest component of waste in a landfill.


WINNER: Carolyn Cullen! Congratulations! And thanks to everyone who participated.
REMEMBER! Next Monday, March 23rd we will post our next Trivia Challege.

There are two important things to remember about post consumer waste: Recycle It and Buy It! Or Buy It and Recycle It!

Most materials are recyclable, so always read labels when you are making a purchase to see if the packaging or item can be recycled. You can get juice in a juice box that cannot be recycled, or in a glass bottle that can be recycled. Next, recycle it! Whether you have a curbside facility or a drop off, take your post consumer recyclables to the recycling bin. And finally, but just as important, buy post consumer recycled products. This completes the recycling circle and makes post consumer recycables valuable. When you have a choice, pick the item that states made from post consumer recycled material or made from recycled material. That means the material wasn't virgin. A box may state "recyclable" and that is good to know, but it is ideal to support the recycling industry by buying already recycled products. It increases the demand for recycled products.

Why is all of this important? First, virgin materials are still used, including ancient trees from Old Growth Forest. We should be able to meet the demand for materials in other ways, i.e. tree farms and recycled paper. Second, recycling saves energy and reduces air pollution. Aluminum is the ideal recycleable product; it has an energy savings and air pollution savings of 95% each! Third, landfills not only take up valuable space, they are breeding grounds for disease and also emit methane, a green house gas, that is more potent than carbon dioxide.

How to get started? Recycling Post Consumer waste is now easier than ever. You can go online to your local government website for a listing of facilities that will take paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass, as well as batteries, solvents, and electronics.

Check out these sites for more information: www.epa.gov; www.chicagorecycling.org