Palo Verde Green Team

In these days of hot air and hot weather, it’s easy to leave your air conditioning on when you’re not even home.  Try to remember to only turn it on when you need it (which isn’t in the morning, night, or when

nobody’s home).

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Look at what is in U.S. landfills

• 30% - Paper and other paper products such as newspapers, cardboard boxes, phone books, junk mail, and cereal boxes.
• 24% - Plastic products such as plastic bags and containers, milk cartons, plastic cups and utensils, soda bottles, plastic balls, plastic lunch boxes.
• 11% - Food and yard waste.
• 8%- Metal products such as soup cans, toasters, foil, disposable pans, old phones, and old computers.
• 6% - Rubber and Leather such as tires, old shoes, old clothing and furniture.
• 21% - other trash such as broken TVs, old lamps, diapers, toys, glass containers, old batteries.

Here is what you can do to help

• You can recycle newspapers, glass, batteries, and plastics.
• Use both sides of the paper.
• Compost all of your leftover food at home and later use as fertilizer in your garden.
• Use rechargeable batteries for toys, games, radios and flashlights.
• Visit the Recycling Center, to find out what else you can recycle.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 70% of the toxic heavy metals in landfills comes form electronic waste.

 

Why should you care?

 

At some point electronics break or become obsolete; but the lead and mercury contained inside them cause lasting damage to our environment by leaching into the ground water and polluting our streams and wildlife.

 

What should you do?

 

Laws for electronic waste are changing all the time. For the latest reuse or disposal options, call the Recycling Center Hotline or visit their website for a searchable list. Currently here at Palo Verde, to get you and family started on life-long recycling habits we will continue to collect  mouse, cell phones and accessories, CDs or DVDs, inkjet printer cartridges, small electronic batteries- up to “D” size, laptop batteries, cell phone batteries and fluorescent light bulbs. The electronics recycling box is located next to the office entrance.

 

What else can you do?

 

Electronics are perfect candidates for reuse. Rather than recycling, give them to someone who can use them.

 

• Fix leaky pipes and faucets. One tiny leak can waste up to 50 gallons of water a day! Save water by taking short showers and washing only full loads of laundry.
• Discard plastic beverage rings ONLY AFTER cutting open all of the loops These six-pack plastic rings are harmful to birds and other creatures that often get caught in the plastic loops. If you have a choice, buy soda six-packs made from biodegradable plastic.
• Never throw toxic materials into the trash. Things like paint, household cleaners, and motor oil need special disposal. Call 1-800-CLEANUP or visit www.CLEANUP.org to learn where special disposal sites are located.
• Organize a neighborhood clean-up. Suggest that your classroom, scout troop, Sunday school class, or neighborhood friends host a neighborhood clean-up day to pick up litter.
• Properly inflate your car tires. Remind the drivers in your house to “check the air” each time they fill up with gas. Driving on under-inflated tires wastes gas and wears out tires.
• Save energy in the bathroom. Turn off the water when you aren’t using it! Take short showers instead of baths (showers use less H2O), brush your teeth with the water off, and buy a “flush saver” for your toilet (or put a brick in the tank).
• Turn the air-conditioning thermostat up or off . Save valuable energy by keeping AC above 75 degrees in your house. Turning off the AC in your car will increase gas mileage and save valuable energy.
• Use and re-use cloth bags at the grocery store. Instead of carrying groceries in paper or plastic bags that get thrown away, take your own cloth bags to the store. Even paper or plastic bags can be used several times, and some stores offer a discount for re-using their grocery bags.
• Visit the library or surf the Internet. The library has many books that are full of valuable information on the environment. Or check the World Wide Web. Once you’ve read about the environment, spread the word!