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Benefits of Recycling Plastic Bottles
We all use plastic bottles, there is really no way around it. Plastic has become a big part of everyone lives. Plastic is much more desirable than glass because it is usually lighter and does not break as easily. Plastic comes in many forms; however, the most used form is in plastic bottles. Plastic is one of the many materials that can be recycle, yet, for some reason, many people still have not considered the benefits.
Let us have a look at the benefits of recycling plastic bottles.
There are five areas in which recycling plastic bottles can benefit you, those you love, and the world around you. These five areas include:
1. Oil
2. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
3. Energy
4. Reuse
5. Landfill Space
Conserve our Oil
We all know how precious oil is today, in fact, it is so precious that it has caused the price of gas, foods, and other items to jump dramatically. However, what many people do not realize is that by recycling plastic bottles, we are saving oil. One ton of recycled plastic bottles can save almost four barrels of oil.
Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction
Recycled items take less processing. This means that the new manufacturing does not require as much energy and does not emit as much pollution, which then means you see a reduction in greenhouse gasses.
Conserving Our Energy
Plastic bottles used in water and soft drink bottles are made of what is called Polyethylene Terephthalate, also known as PET. Just one pound of recycled PET can save as much as twelve-thousand BTU’s in energy. At the same time, as mentioned previously, it takes two-thirds less energy to manufacture from recycled products, as it does to create new.
Reuse Benefits
What many people do not understand about recycling is that what you see now, is not always what it will be later. In many cases, that plastic bottle you are now drinking out of, may be something totally different once it is recycled. For instance, your plastic bottle may become carpeting, it may become someone’s jacket, or it might even become a part of someone’s deck. What you see, is not always what you get when it comes to recycling.
Save Our Landfills
One of the biggest problems today is that our landfills are running out of space. We are needing to create new landfills, which take up more space and puts more trash into our earth. However, you may be thinking how much room can one plastic bottle really take. The point is that if everyone thinks that way, think of how many plastic bottles that is.
It really builds up before you know it; however, just a ton of plastic bottles recycled can free up 7.4 cubic yards in our landfills. That’s a lot of space that is being used unnecessarily, when there are recycling avenues everywhere that you turn.
As you can see, there are many benefits of recycling plastic bottles.
Home Composting to Enhance Your Organic Garden
Home composting has been popular for many years. It is a great way to save on waste and creates a nutrient filled compost for your garden. What is more, home composting can actually save you money. There are many different ways to start home composting and in this article we will discuss some of them.
First, let’s talk about why you want to create a compost pile. First, it reduces the amount of waste within your home, particularly with fruits and vegetables, left over foods and such. Second, it saves you money in having to purchase fertilizer, and third, because it is really very healthy for your garden.
Many people choose to create a compost pile within their yard. This is a great way to get started with home composting. Compost is created from a balance of brown materials such as leaves or hay and green materials such as vegetable tops or grass. They should be alternated brown, green, brown, green, into layers. The pile should start at about three feet in height and width.
Of course, soil or booster may be desired, but is not necessary. These items work to help the break down process occur more quickly and efficiently. Each week, you should turn your pile several times, this allows oxygen to flow, which boosts the speed of break down.
If you do not have the yard space or do not want to deal with a pile such as this, you can take home composting to another level and do it within your home. Compost bins are designed specifically for this. They take up minimal space and actually assist in speeding up the break down process.
Within your home, specify a compost container that is especially for your kitchen scraps. This is an easy way to save your scraps and save yourself time as well. Empty it regularly within your compost bin or pile.
Organic Food – Is It Really Better?
Organic vs. conventional food is quite a hot topic this century. Fifty percent of Americans are now purchasing organic food at least once a week, whereas in 2000, only about 17% of Americans were buying organic.
Organic food is better because of the way it is grown and handled during cultivation and transportation. An apple is really just an apple, but if you grow it in radon-rich soil doused in chemicals every day, your body will absorb all of the good apple nutrients along with all of the radiation and chemicals. You can use the popular fruit and vegetable washes and that definitely helps with surface residue, but the apple absorbs and incorporates within its fibers much more of the bad stuff you are washing off the surface.
Much of the current debate on organic food has come to head with the tired-and-true green conscious advocates. Most organic foods purchased in large markets are shipped from many distant areas from all over the North and South American continents. Our eco-friendly green consciousness tells us that the oil used to ship organic food is more harmful to the world than buying conventional (pesticide-rich) foods.
Not a terrible argument except that the chemicals used in local crops are most definitely destructive to all of the planet immediately and in future generations. Buying local organic is definitely the way to go, plus never-refrigerated fruits and veggies retain their full and amazing flavor. Due to consumer demand, organic markets are becoming easier to find. Faithfully buying organic food will continue to drive the local markets to meet the demand and eventually we will have the best of both worlds: locally farmed wholesome organic food.
