What We Throw Away

TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE SMALL CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR CAN HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON OUR PLANET! WHEN YOU THROW SOMETHING AWAY, WHERE DOES IT GO? EVERY YEAR, AMERICANS CREATE 251 OF TRASH MILLION TONS 135 END UP IN LANDFILLS AND INCINERATORS MILLION TONS 7/ BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO II YOU CAN DRAMATICALLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TRASH THAT IS THROWN AWAY BY TAKING A FEW EASY STEPS: REDUCE REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF WASTE YOU CREATE, THE AMOUNT OF MATERIALS YOU USE, WHICH REUSE RECYCLE WHENEVER POSSIBLE MATERIALS WHEN POSSIBLE YOU USE YOU THROW AWAY RETHINK THE MATERIALS AND THOSE BY THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE USING AND HOW TO REDUCE THE WASTE WE PRODUCE, WE CAN HELP CREATE A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT. WHAT IS MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW)? OUR TRASH, OR MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE, IS COMPRISED OF VARIOUS MATERIALS AMERICANS COMMONLY THROW AWAY AFTER BEING USED. MSW DOES NOT INCLUDE INDUSTRIAL, HAZARDOUS, OR CONSTRUCTION WASTE. DID YOU KNOW? MORE THAN ENDS UP IN 95% OF FOOD THAT COULD BE COMPOSTED LANDFILLS WASTE AND INCINERATORS. O THE IMPACT & RECYCLING HELPS TO CREATE CLEANER LAND, AIR, AND WATER, AND BETTER HEALTH. IN 2012, NATIONALLY, AND COMPOSTED 87 MILLION TONS OF MSW. WE RECYCLED COMPARABLE TO REMOVING THE ANNUALLY, THIS ELIMINATED ANNUAL EMISSIONS MORE THAN 168 MILLION METRIC TONS OF CO, EQUIVALENT FROM OVER 33 MILLION EMISSIONS REDUCED WHICH IS, PASSENGER VEHICLES. RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING HELPS SAVE NATURAL RESOURCES. RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING 87 MILLION TONS OF ENERGY CONSUMED BY ALMOST OF MSW.. 10 MILLION U.S. HOUSEHOLDS IN A YEAR. SAVED MORE THAN THAT'S 1.1 QUADRILLION BTU OF ENERGY. THE SAME AMOUNT EVERY TON OF PAPER RECYCLED OF CAN SAVE 165 THE ENERGY EQUIVALENT GALLONS OF GASOLINE. RECYCLING EQUIVALENT TO 1TON. OF 26 ALUMINUM CANS BARRELS CONSERVES OF OIL OVER 1,665 GALLONS OF GASOLINE. 153 мLлоN OR BTUS, PROGRESS OUR OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES, THE RECYCLING, COMPOSTING, AND DISPOSAL OF MSW HAS CHANGED. WHILE THE AMOUNT OF MSW PRODUCED 4.38 Las IN 2012 WENT UP PER PERSON PER 3.66 Lac IN 1980 DAY, RECYCLING HAS ALSO INCREASED. <10% IN 1980 35% IN 2012 IN 2012, OVER 19 MILLION ALMOST TONS OF YARD TRIMMINGS FIVE TIMES AS WERE COMPOSTED... MUCH AS IN 1990. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MSW GOING TO LANDFILLS DROPPED 1990 2012 FROM 145,3 MILLION TO 135 MILLION TONS HOW YOU CAN HELP IN STORES: - Shop for products made with recycled materials, · Buy items with less packaging. · Buy refillable, reusable containers. • Bring reusable cloth or canvas bags to the grocery store. • Buy only what you need or what you know you will use (applies to food as well). AT HOME: - Use energy-efficient light bulbs and rechargeable batteries. • Reuse plastic bags, · Ask to be removed from paper mailing lists. Don't throw anything away that can be reused or repaired. For unwanted used electronics, try upgrading the device to continue using it. Otherwise, donate or recycle it. Print on both sides of paper (and use recycled paper). • Compost your food scraps and yard waste. MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY! If we all take small steps every day to reduce the amount of waste we produce, we can help protect our planet for generations to come. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/recycle. ЭЕРА This infographic is baeed on data from EPA'e 2012 MSW Characterization Report. For more information, see http:/lgo.usa.gov/BPXY, Entronmental Protection