No, this blog isn't turning into some environmentalist whacko website. I'm taking the month of February to stress the importance of recycling to Pickens County/Liberty residents. I don't think the word has gotten out sufficiently ... Liberty is about to be fined THOUSANDS of dollars by the county starting in April 2010 if certain targets aren't met.If for some reason you are choosing not to begin or to participate in some form of recycling for political or social reasons ...
Recently, I overheard a man at a Republican rally say,
This same person is someone that would complain about higher taxes, complain about teacher salaries, complain about the condition of the streets in his town ... yet unnecessarily burden our municipalities with the disposal of his trash that may contain items that the County or State is willing to make a trade-off with taxpayers over.
There may not be any truth to global warming caused by mankind - but there certainly is truth in the countless amounts of resources that are being wasted because they aren't being reused, recycled, or used in moderation.
What many don't understand is that by recycling plastic and aluminum you are actually HELPING South Carolina businesses. There are MANY South Carolina businesses that take in recyclable materials and "remanufacture" them or sell them to companies that use them in their products that have manufacturing facilities right here in our state - Nike and Coca Cola are two that come to mind. Carolina Recycling Group is another.
Pickens County and the State Of South Carolina earn and/or save money from various types of recycling:
• plastic bottles & containers
• aluminum drinking cans
• glass
• brush & leaves
Pickens County could save tens of thousands of dollars if more:
• Compost
• Burn their trash ( see this article )
• Donate reusable household items, clothes, & electronics to local thrift stores
• Save valuable bonuses that schools can use
• Businesses such as car washes & laundromats would separate their trash
One of the more interesting comments I hear regarding recycling is:
What is changing your lifestyle by putting plastic bottles and aluminum cans in a 28 inch high green bin instead of a 48 inch tall white bin?
What is changing your lifestyle by taking something of value to the curb - when you can call a local thrift store and have them come to your door and pick it up?
Which is more life-changing; clipping small bits off of the boxes and packages of the food you eat or paying higher taxes?
1 COMMENTS / Make your own:
Making the decision to recycle or start recycling more IS somewhat of a lifestyle change for a lot of people. You have to make room in your home for the bins. You have to look at EVERYTHING you use in your home or at work to see if it can be recycled or if there is a label or boxtop and/or compost material. This is not a difficult change to make, but it is a change for some. Oh, and some people are just plain lazy and will not do it.
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