Don't be voted off the island!

I believe the following will compel you to action. Its not the children and grand children I worry about, in their innocence they seem to know better, its the adults and young adults who seem to take life for granted and assume someone else will pick up after them or fix the planet for them..

The subject of recycling is ever present in our community. Unfortunately, it is not present enough in the minds and actions of enough of us. I am told that education is the key to improving our communities performance with respect to recycling.

Recycling is a very basic issue. We have limited resources (fossil fuel, minerals, clean air and water). We have a tremendously growing population that requires and demands more & more goods; that impinges on agricultural and forested land. Recycling generally requires less energy and creates less water and air pollution to collect, process and deliver a new pound of  paper, glass, aluminum or quality plastic etc.

While we are improving our commitment to recycling, in the USA, frankly we are far from a gold medal, in fact we are pitiful.

The Local Picture

Looking at this on a local Wrightsville Beach basis, the fact is (as was recently reported by The Lumina News, ref. Publisher's editorial issued Aug 2, 2012)  if TOWB did not allow/include recycling at the town center by non-residents (from across the draw bridge) we would not be able to meet our State mandated level of recyclables. The mandate is based on data provided by TOWB Waste Management and is a percentage of our waste management tonnage.

What the heck? What does that mean? It means that across the community of Wrightsville both residents and visitors simply don't recycle enough, full stop.... end of discussion! We throw too much recyclable material in the trash.

How can that be? What about all those blue barrels on the beach? They seem just full of Miller Lite and Bud Light beer cans. How can it be possible? It makes no sense.

An Array of Recyclables ... familiar in our everyday lives


Photo from dosomething.org

Our Beach Barrel Problem

The problem with our beach barrels, is that people dispose of anything and everything as they leave the beach. That simple action turns the classification of the content from recyclable materials into trash... and trash is not accepted at the recycle center.

An estimate by TOWB Public Works is that these blue barrels could contribute an additional 40% to the recycling tonnage, had it not been spoiled by non-recyclable materials (broken beach umbrellas, broken beach chairs, potato chips, half eaten PB&J sandwiches, watermelon rinds, not to mention broken styrefoam coolers from Scotchman & Harris Teeter, etc.)

Action Items

• As part of education you can spread the word to your fellow beach goers don't trash our recyclables and please do recycle.
• Too many people in NC don't realize or accept that recycling is the law! Please spread the word.
• If you don't currently recycle.... start, its painless and rewarding
• Perhaps we can get the TOWB Public Works to label the barrels "no Trash... Recycle only"
• Maybe we can get the TOWB to post/ monitor our recycle tonnage so that we as a community can see and understand the results of our activity
• Next time you drink a can of soda or beer while watching TV, think about the fact that by recycling that one can you could save enough energy to run your TV for 3 hours!

Keep this in mind and share it

• Recycled aluminum produces 97% less water pollution than producing it from ore. 

• More than 20 million Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each day, using 133 square miles of aluminum. All of that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it.

I am told that education is the key to improving our communities performance I hope this has been educational for you as it has been for me. Below are but a few websites that can provide greater insight into the realm of recycling. (or just try a simple Google..."recycling)

I know there is more to understand about recycling, plastic shopping bags for example are a huge pollutant, especially to marine life.... that will be for another day, another chapter.

In the meantime, don't risk getting voted off the island for poor recycling behavior!


Thanks for reading, Noah

 http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-recycling

http://www.cancentral.com/funFacts.cfm