Following is some general recycle and pre-cycle information:

DID YOU KNOW

• Each American uses about 190 pounds of plastic per year-and about 60 pounds of it is packaging which we discard as soon as the package is opened.
• Almost 30% of all plastics produced is used for packaging.
• Packaging waste accounts for approximately 1/3 of all the trash we send to landfills.
• Roughly 5 million tons of what we throw away each year is packaging. **

THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO

Keep your eyes open when you shop.  Everything you buy has an effect on the environment-try to make it a positive one.

Some examples of "precycling":

• Buy eggs in cardboard-not styrofoam-cartons.
• Most cereal boxes are made of recycled cardboard.  It's easy to tell-the boxes are gray on the inside.  The packaging for many varieties of cookies, crackers, dry goods etc. are also recycled.  Look for the "recycled" logo.
• Buy carrots, onion, potatoes, etc. loose, and not in plastic bags.
• Buy beverages in plastic or aluminum containers, which are easy to recycle.  You can also choose sauces, condiments, baby foods, spreads, etc. that are packed in large containers.
• Avoid plastic containers which are made up of different types of plastic in several layers. These are not recyclable.

If you want to do more:

• Teach your children to precycle.  Children are particularly susceptible to loud, colorful packaging, especially on products they've seen on TV.  But they're also quick learners, and have a special fondness for nature.  Teach them that they can help save their Earth by using one kind of product instead of another, by caring for their toys so they won't need replacing, by getting involved, as you are, in "doing it right, from the start."
• Urge leaders in our community to adopt "precycling" measures to promote precycling awareness.

RESULTS

If 10% of Americans purchased products with less plastic packaging just 10% of the time, we could eliminate some 144 million pounds of plastic from our landfills, reduce pollution, and send a message to manufacturers that we're serious about finding better ways to package our commodities.


 

**According to "50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save The Earth" Earthworks Press Berkley, CA