Myth: People walk around the landfills  to pick up recyclables.

Don’t second guess it. Everything that gets placed at the end of your curb goes to the landfill, unless it is in a recycle bin. There is no one gallivanting through landfills sorting the recyclables from the trash. It is simple to add an additional bin at your home, office, or classroom for recycling. Help the planet: Sort your trash from recyclables. Period.

Myth: You can’t recycle any paper besides white.

The only restrictions when it comes to recycling paper are: thermal, laminated, stained, and waxy papers. Besides those exceptions, just about any type of paper is able to be recycled. Items include: catalogs, envelopes, cardboard, construction paper, magazines, copy paper, and newspaper.

Myth: Using an incinerator is a green option because you are burning the trash for electricity.

The incineration process may produce electricity, but it releases greenhouse gases and other pollutants into environment.  That mess can be averted by packing and sending out the trash you planned to burn to be recycled. This leaves the world a little greener.

Top Three Inexcusable Excuses

Excuse: We have plenty of room for landfills.

Most landfills have less than 20 years capacity. That is what makes recycling so significant in the petition to preserve the planet. The area of the nation that raises high concerns is the northeast, where landfills are expected to max out and close within the next 10 years. If that happens, our only option is to send the garbage elsewhere increasing the cost of trash pickup and dumping.

Excuse: Our recycling efforts are as good as can be.

It is amazing how much recyclable material in the nation gets tossed. If manufacturers bring the convenience of recycling to households and organizations, we could increase the national recycling rate (currently 28%) and decrease landfill waste. According to the blog, 73% of glass containers, 77% of magazines, 66% of plastic soda and milk bottles, and 45% of newspapers are not recycled.

Excuse: There is no reason why recycling should be an expense.

If not for recycling efforts, one million Americans would be unemployed. The job opportunities are 10 times higher than in waste management. The costs of operating incinerators and landfills are higher than recycling programs.  Through the help of recycling programs, companies like Bank of America, Hewlett Packard, and the U.S. Postal Service have been able to cut back landfill waste and save millions of dollars. With the rate the nation is recycling, 9 million homes per year are able to be offered electricity.

See why it is important to clear up myths and banish excuses? Recycling is important! Do your part to help the environment today by registering your nonprofit, business, school, or church with FundingFactory!

Photos gathered from:

http://www.theinnovationdiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/metal-recycling.jpg

http://sustainable.jocogov.org/images/landfill%20trucks%20dumping.jpg

http://www.theinnovationdiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/plastics-recycling.jpg