The Reasons and Rules For Recycling
To recycle something means to make something usable again. Materials that are recyclable in most areas of the U.S. include paper, plastic, glass, and aluminium or tin. In some cities, cardboard and foamed plastic are also recyclable.
I don't like to see people throw away things that can be recycled or reused. In fact, I feel pain when I do see this happen. I try to always put anything recyclable into a recycling bin. And, if there is no recycling bin nearby, then I try to hold onto anything recyclable until I find one.
Before I put anything into a recycling bin, I try to always rinse any food or liquid from any bottles, cans, or other containers. One stained item can ruin an entire batch. Plus, dirty containers get stinky and attract bugs.
Also, I always check plastic containers for a number inside a triangle. This is the symbol for the type of plastic in the container. The recycling center in my city will not accept anything that is made of #6 plastic. This is because #6 plastic is harder to recycle than other plastics.
Finally, the rules for collecting recyclable items differ from one city to the next. In my old neighborhood, I had to keep paper, cardboard, and foamed plastic in three separate containers. Everything else went into a third recycling bin. In my current neighborhood, I can throw everything but foamed plastic into the same recycling bin. This makes my life so much easier!
For someone who is new at recycling, this may seem like a lot of work. I can understand how it would be easy to wonder why it is worth the effort to recycle.
The main reason why it is important to recycle is that most materials take a long time to decompose, or break down. Here is a list of a few examples:
1. Glass bottle: 1 million years
2. Plastic beverage bottle: 450 years
3. Disposable diaper: 450 years
4. Aluminum can: 80-200 years
5. Foamed plastic cup: 50 years
6. Tin can: 50 years
7. Plastic film container: 30-40 years
8. Plastic bag: 10-20 years
9. Cigarette butt: 1-5 years
10. Waxed milk carton: 3 months
11. Newspaper: 6 weeks
12. Paper towel: 2-4 weeks
One million years! Even 450 years is a long time for a bottle to sit in a landfill. Now imagine if everyone threw away all of their glass and plastic bottles. Now add all of the aluminum and tin cans, foamed plastic cups, and plastic bags to the pile. The landfills would be piled so high - and for such a long time!
According to the U.S. government, Americans already throw away about 28 billion bottles and jars and about 25 billion foamed plastic cups every year. Imagine putting them all in a straight line and following the state borders. I wonder how many states they would cover!
And, finally, even though paper takes the least amount of time to decompose, it is still better to recycle it. This is because paper is made of trees. Every time someone buys something made of paper, workers at the paper mill go out to cut down some trees, in order to make more paper. According to the U.S. government, about 900 million trees are cut down so that American paper companies can make paper.
It's a good thing that items #1-8 are generally all recyclable. Can you imagine a world in which all of the landfills contained items that could decompose in 1-5 years or less? Just thinking about it makes me smile.
I don't like to see people throw away things that can be recycled or reused. In fact, I feel pain when I do see this happen. I try to always put anything recyclable into a recycling bin. And, if there is no recycling bin nearby, then I try to hold onto anything recyclable until I find one.
Before I put anything into a recycling bin, I try to always rinse any food or liquid from any bottles, cans, or other containers. One stained item can ruin an entire batch. Plus, dirty containers get stinky and attract bugs.
Also, I always check plastic containers for a number inside a triangle. This is the symbol for the type of plastic in the container. The recycling center in my city will not accept anything that is made of #6 plastic. This is because #6 plastic is harder to recycle than other plastics.
Finally, the rules for collecting recyclable items differ from one city to the next. In my old neighborhood, I had to keep paper, cardboard, and foamed plastic in three separate containers. Everything else went into a third recycling bin. In my current neighborhood, I can throw everything but foamed plastic into the same recycling bin. This makes my life so much easier!
For someone who is new at recycling, this may seem like a lot of work. I can understand how it would be easy to wonder why it is worth the effort to recycle.
The main reason why it is important to recycle is that most materials take a long time to decompose, or break down. Here is a list of a few examples:
1. Glass bottle: 1 million years
2. Plastic beverage bottle: 450 years
3. Disposable diaper: 450 years
4. Aluminum can: 80-200 years
5. Foamed plastic cup: 50 years
6. Tin can: 50 years
7. Plastic film container: 30-40 years
8. Plastic bag: 10-20 years
9. Cigarette butt: 1-5 years
10. Waxed milk carton: 3 months
11. Newspaper: 6 weeks
12. Paper towel: 2-4 weeks
One million years! Even 450 years is a long time for a bottle to sit in a landfill. Now imagine if everyone threw away all of their glass and plastic bottles. Now add all of the aluminum and tin cans, foamed plastic cups, and plastic bags to the pile. The landfills would be piled so high - and for such a long time!
According to the U.S. government, Americans already throw away about 28 billion bottles and jars and about 25 billion foamed plastic cups every year. Imagine putting them all in a straight line and following the state borders. I wonder how many states they would cover!
And, finally, even though paper takes the least amount of time to decompose, it is still better to recycle it. This is because paper is made of trees. Every time someone buys something made of paper, workers at the paper mill go out to cut down some trees, in order to make more paper. According to the U.S. government, about 900 million trees are cut down so that American paper companies can make paper.
It's a good thing that items #1-8 are generally all recyclable. Can you imagine a world in which all of the landfills contained items that could decompose in 1-5 years or less? Just thinking about it makes me smile.
gratitude 감사 / optimistic 긍정적인 / productive 생산적인 / attitude 태도 / universal law 보편적인 법칙 / attraction 끌림 / blessing 축복 / consciously 의식적으로 / appreciative 감사해하는, 고마워하는 / contribution 기여 / definition 정의 / harvest 수확 / sacrifice 희생, 제물로 바치다
감사의 힘
삶에서 당신을 더욱 건강하고 행복하고 긍정적이고 생산적으로 만들어줄 수 있는 것은 과연 무엇일까? 바로 “감사하는 태도”이다. 과학자들은 문제를 포함한 모든 것에 대해 감사하는 마음, 다시 말해 ‘감사’에는 힘이 있다고 이야기한다. 더 감사하는 마음은 우리를 더욱 행복하고 더 긍정적인 사람으로 만들어준다. 감사함의 가장 좋은 점은 많은 시간이 필요하지 않으며 돈이 필요 없다는 점이다.
끌림의 보편적인 법칙은 우리는 생각하고 집중하는 것을 우리의 삶으로 끌어들이게 된다고 이야기한다. 그렇다면 우리가 감사한 것에 초점을 맞추는 것은 어떨까? 우리에게 주어진 것에 의식적으로 감사한다면 우리는 삶에서 원하는 것에 집중하고 있는 것이다. 그리고 감사할만한 더 많은 것을 끌어들이게 된다.
끌림의 보편적인 법칙은 우리는 생각하고 집중하는 것을 우리의 삶으로 끌어들이게 된다고 이야기한다. 그렇다면 우리가 감사한 것에 초점을 맞추는 것은 어떨까? 우리에게 주어진 것에 의식적으로 감사한다면 우리는 삶에서 원하는 것에 집중하고 있는 것이다. 그리고 감사할만한 더 많은 것을 끌어들이게 된다.
