Monday was America Recycles Day.
Of course, Sunday was both American Teddy Bear Day and National Clean Our Your Refrigerator Day so these days tend to come and go without much recognition or fanfare.
But the idea behind America Recycles Day shouldn’t go unnoticed Monday, today or any of the other 363 days of the year.
A proclamation signed by Emporia Mayor Jim Kessler states that Americans generate 230 million tons of municipal solid waste each year, including 860 million water bottles each week. Those are really difficult numbers to comprehend, so let’s try to break one of them down.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the U.S. population at 307 million, so each person generates roughly three empty bottles of water a week. How many of those three do you suppose most people throw away?
The good news in Emporia is there are plenty of options for recycling. The less good news is you have to make an effort. They usually won’t come to you.
An event Saturday at the Emporia Recycling Center gave local citizens a chance to learn about what gets recycled and the proper way of getting rid of materials. Tours and prizes were also part of the festivities.
Although the recycling center may be a little out of the way (3100 W. South Ave.), Emporia is fortunate to have a one-stop recycling venue, which is even open on Saturdays. Many communities have limited or no recycling options.
Materials accepted at the center are cardboard, paperboard, newspaper, magazines, slick paper, office paper and junk mail, aluminum cans and other aluminum, tin cans, pop bottles, milk containers and detergent bottles.
Also, a recycling trailer travels to communities in Lyon County and is stationed at the Dillons parking lot at 902 E. 12th Ave. in Emporia from noon Thursday to 10 a.m. Saturday.
Lyon County keeps track of town-by-town recycling totals outside of Emporia, and Olpe was the clear winner last time the totals were reported. Americus was second and Hartford edged Admire for third.
With attention focused this week on recycling, now is a good time to create the good habit of recycling.
Jeremy Shapiro
Reporter
dj2879 (anonymous) says...
"The good news in Emporia is there are plenty of options for recycling. The less good news is you have to make an effort. They usually won’t come to you."
I feel that with those lines in this article, Mr. Shapiro should have done a little more research and talked about Green Door Recycling. A local company who will come pick up your recycling for you, and save you the trip out to the recycling center.
November 18, 2010 at 2:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
empgazfan (anonymous) says...
I never recycle anything. Recycling is a ripoff and a fraudulent operation. It is nothing but a sop to businesses. It is false economy and false environmentalism. I urge everyone to throw all their garbage into the landfill. When the landfill fills up, then we can talk real solutions, not phony ones. For example, take the statement in the article that each person generates 3 empty water bottles a day. If you believe the solution to excessive empty water bottles in the landfill is to recycle the bottles, then you are part of the problem, not part of the solution. So I say throw the bottles into the landfill until the recycle advocates drown in HDPE.
November 18, 2010 at 6:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
YEP !
November 18, 2010 at 7:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gogreen (anonymous) says...
empgazfan...could you tell me where you live so I can dump all my trash and all my recyclebles in your yard. Since the landfill will surely be full if no one recycles, we will definately need a place to dump everything. And since your so trashy..it only seems fitting.
November 19, 2010 at 7:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Yep....but with a but.
While I in no way agree with emp's rant about recycling (it is after all the best solution we have immediately available to us).....but within the hyperbole there is one grain of truth.
The real long-term solution to the solid waste problem begins with recycling....but it ends when we figure out a way to stop thinking we need those three new plastic bottles each day to hold our water. How about holding our water in one reusable container that we don't end up having to recycle to get rid of?
November 19, 2010 at 7:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Yep.
Good point, biscuit. I like the reusable idea and there are plenty of neat containers out there. Too lazy to do it? That's the real problem!
I've often thought about all that "spring" water people lug around with them. Some is spring, some is not. That's a rip-off for sure. Some other community's water bottled and sold in Emporia, a place that has excellent tasting tap water to begin with. Now let's take that conundrum and turn it into something positive. Here's an idea for a new local industry. They don't call me "create" for nuthin. Venture capital anyone?
Flat Out Water.
Pure. Plain. Simple.
Bottled on the Plains of Kansas
Where once roamed the buffalo.
Of course we all know where our water comes from, but the wording suggests otherwise. It's all in the marketing.
You heard it here first. I am "create" and this is my idea.
Copyright!
November 19, 2010 at 8:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gooseylucy (anonymous) says...
bb, By "one reusable container" do you mean like using a glass to capture tap water?? Wow.....what a novel concept. Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? LOL
November 19, 2010 at 8:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Yes....I am surprised none of our bright young minds never thought of that before. Very much like those old fa#$s....my grandparents and parents....used to do back when only stupid old people were in the world.....LOL
November 19, 2010 at 8:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
marko (anonymous) says...
when drinkn water from 'where the buffalo roam' always remember the old tip... drink upstream from the herd.
November 19, 2010 at 9:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
marko....LOL
November 19, 2010 at 9:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
LOL marko.
November 19, 2010 at 10:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...
lol marko
November 19, 2010 at 6:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
I love drinking Emporia's tap water. It's the best tasting water in the United States! It comes really close to the flavor of water from the water vines in the Amazon rain forests. Emporia should bottle water and sell it on the turnpike!!!
November 19, 2010 at 9:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Of course we should not bottle our Flat Out Water in plastic. That just defeats the entire go green idea.
November 20, 2010 at 6:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
The Mrs. just set out our GREEN DOOR bins by the curb.
when we stayed with friends in Germany we were amazed at the amount of recycling done, (mandatory). Four adults generated less than 2 pounds of non-recyclable trash each week.
Since using The Green Door service our poly cart for trash could go up to a month without being rolled to the curb.
Makes me happy!
November 20, 2010 at 8:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )