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1. End/Beginning ? Why is Recycling Important to

2. End/Beginning YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to

3. ? Why is Recycling Important to YOU “Because I want to be able to eat the fish that I catch.” If not recycled, one quart of used motor oil could pollute 250,000 gallons of water.

4. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because I want my child to have a clean place to live.” Plastics require 100 to 400 years to break downat the landfill. It takes approximately 1 million yearsfor a glass bottle to break down at the landfill.

5. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to Apple juice. “Because I want my child to have a clean place to live” . . . and yes . . . you can buy apple juicein recyclable plastic bottles too.

6. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because I like to keep my grocery bill low.” Using recycled content in packaging often saves the manufacturer and you money.

7. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to Recycling is important to me because it: • Saves valuable resources from being disposed of • Provides fiber/raw materials for a large partof the world's paper and packaging production • Saves disposal space Bill MoorePresident, Moore & AssociatesThe World's Leading Consultants to the Paper Recycling Industry

8. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to Always Done “Because my experiences have taught me that it’s important for her future!” “Because my future depends on it!” Americans are recycling more than ever before.With an average recycling rate of 27%, and over 60%for some materials, we have exceeded the national goal.

9. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to • Recycling is not a new concept. When our grandparents were growing up, throwing something away after only one use was extremely rare. • Recycling was especially important during the 1940s as part of the Allied effort in WWII. Scrap metal was collected to make ammunition, and textiles were collected to make uniforms for soldiers. • Recycling has made a recent comeback becauseof a growing understanding of the environmentaland economic problems associated witha “throwaway society.” • Young people realize that by recycling today,they can ensure a better tomorrow.

10. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because I don’t wanthigh gas prices.” For every 3,700 two liter plastic bottles recycled,a barrel of oil (42 gallons) is saved.

11. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to • Fossil fuels like oil and gasoline are finite resources, meaning that there is no way to make more of them. • Using recycled materials saves fossil fuel because they have already been refined and processed once. Manufacturing these materials a second time requires less energy. • For example, recycling aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its original source, bauxite. • Recycling a pound of steel saves enough energy to light a 60-watt bulb for 26 hours. • A paper mill uses 20% less energy to make paper from recycled paper than it does to make paper from trees.

12. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because I need tosupport my family.” Photos\Craig - Its my job\DSC02167.JPG The recycling industry nationally employs over1.1 million people and generates an annual payrollof nearly $37 billion.

13. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because recycling provides raw material to American industry.” Half of all polyester carpeting is made fromrecycled beverage bottle plastic.

14. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Recycling is important to me because it promotes team work, minimizes wastes and supports our local economy. Not only is recycling the right thing to do, it is our responsibility as members of our community." Robert Eaton, Safety and Environmental Manager Eaton Corporation, Supercharger Plant, Athens, GA.

15. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because I like to buy environmentally friendly products.” Everyone knows recycling is good for the planet. But recycling also creates some pretty cool products you can buy right now. These are a few.

16. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to 27% of the garbage entering Georgia’s municipal solid waste landfills is commonly recyclable. In 2004, more than 2.3 million tons of discarded material could have been recycled.

17. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to The recently completed Georgia Solid Waste Characterization Study commissioned by the Georgia Dept of Community Affairs indicates materialin landfills that could be recycled breaks down by the percentages illustrated in this chart.

18. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “We can't blame anybodyelse for the garbage we personally generate every day. Recycling is a great way for us to fulfill our obligation as citizens to help solve the problems we create.” Jimmy Palmer, EPA Region 4 Administrator

19. ? Why is Recycling Important to YOU “Clean Air” “Because I like tobreathe clean air.” Recycling saves energy and reduces air pollutionas well as greenhouse gas emissions.

20. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because it’s what my constituents want.” Recycling is considered a service that many residents request and expect to be provided.

21. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to "Recycling is all about being on a winning TEAM. Recycling: - conserves energy and our natural resources, - promotes environmental stewardship and civic pride, and - supports Georgia's manufacturing industries and creates jobs." Commissioner Mike Beatty, GA Dept. of Community Affairs

22. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because I need money for …” Aluminum beverage cans are a staple in recyclingand are highly valued by scrap recyclers.

23. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because my Scout troopcollects recyclables to helpfund community projects.” The aluminum beverage can is remanufacturedand returns to the grocer’s shelf in as few as60 days after collection.

24. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to Cars contain recycled steel and plastic inincreasing amounts. A new auto battery containsnearly 100% recycled materials.

25. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to "Recycling is important to us because it affords us the opportunity to not only reduce what goes to landfills but also helps minimize the use of scarce natural  resources. Use of recycled products also helps to create a demand for the material being recycled. We at Ford annually purchase products from our suppliers that contain more than 50 million2-liter soft drink bottles… Andy Acho - Worldwide Director, Environmental Outreach and Strategy Ford Motor Company

26. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to . . . about one billion bottle caps become heater and air-conditioning components and millions of yards of carpeting become air cleaner housings. Even the trunk mats in some models are reversible with recycled tires being utilized on the underside to improve functionality and support environmental stewardship.”

27. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to “Because it conserves water.” The Honorable Sonny Perdue Governor of Georgia Recycling one ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water.

28. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to While we may have 3 times as much wood available as we did 80 years ago due to tree farms replacing old growth, Americans consume 15 times more paper today. Without paper recycling, we would need to increase timber harvesting by 80% just to keep up with demand in the next 10 years.

29. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to Computers, monitors, TVs, and other electronics can be recycled providing valuable recovered materials for remanufacturing, while removing potentially harmful elements from our air and water.

30. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to • Electronics are a fast-growing portion of America's trash - with 400 million pieces of computer equipment destined to become obsolete annually until 2010. • More than 3.2 million tons of electronic waste accumulates in U.S. landfills each year. (In Georgia approx. 125,000 tons accumulate annually.) • More than 400 U.S. electronics recycling companies earn $700 million in annual income and employ 7,000 people. They process approximately 750,000 tons annually. • The average cathode ray tube inside a PC monitor contains about five pounds of lead oxide powder embedded in the glass to protect the user from stray radiation. • Computers have several elements – lead, mercury, cadmium – that are regulated as hazardous wastes by U.S. EPA and all states. Electronics can present an environmental hazard if they are disposed of improperly.

31. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to Can You Hear Me Now? Because recycling mobile phones, rechargeable batteries and other portable electronics keeps tons of toxic waste from entering landfills.

32. Filler Slide Four YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to • Many electronics and batteries include lead, mercury and cadmium. Once in the waste stream, these products can release harmful chemicals into the air or water. • Every year, more than 3 million batteries are used and then thrown away by American households who use single-use and rechargeable dry cell batteries—that’s 125,000 tons of batteries discarded each year. • There are nearly 500 million mobile phones waiting to be recycled In the U.S.

33. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to Composting yard trimmings and other organics conserves landfill space and replenishes our depleted soils.

34. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to • Organics make up a large part of our waste stream that can be composted and used to enrich our depleted soils. Yard trimmings alone can be 17-25% of the municipal waste stream in many communities. • Biodiversity means the variety of life on earth. Think of it as a web: the more links and strands of connection there are, the stronger the whole web becomes. Biodiversity begins below ground . . . a healthy soil teeming with diverse microorganisms.

35. YOU ? Why is Recycling Important to • Soil is kept healthy and living by adding lots of organic matter, in the form of compost. Compost contributes to the health of soil by supplying nutrients, improving soil texture and drainage, conserving soil moisture and encouraging earthworms and diverse microorganisms. • Water is a resource too precious to waste. More and more local governments are enacting watering restrictions during the summer. Using compost helps to enhance water-retention capabilities of soil limiting the need for outdoor watering. It is often applied to reduce soil erosion as it improves soil’s texture.

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37. End/Beginning Produced by Georgia Recycling Coalition – Communication Committee, 2005 For more information, contact: www.GeorgiaRecycles.org

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