Reducing Pollution through RecyclingPatricia Speights, MPH Student

Walden University

Aspects of Environment Health: Local to Global (PUBH-6165)

Instructor: Dr. Robert Marino

Fall, 2010

Learning OutcomesDefine recyclingUnderstand the importance of recyclingRecall the types of products that can be

recycledRecognized the facts surrounding products to

be recycledDefine global warmingDefine the cause of global warmingRecognized how to start a recycling program

in a community

Pollution can be effectively managed by reducing reusing, and recycling

Reducing –simply means to cut back

Reusing – means to use an item more than once.

Reference:Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2010)Reduce, reuse, recycle, buy recycled, Retrieved on October 18, 2010 from http://www.epa.gov/region9/waste/solid/reduce.html#reuse

What is recyclingRecycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its

useful life and using all or part of it to make another product.

Reference:Earth 911 (2010). Recycling 101. Retrieved on October 24, 2010 from http://earth911.com/recycling/

Things that can be used again or recycled include

•Plastic•Paper•Glass•Aluminum•Batteries•Electronics, etc

RecyclingSymbols and numbers What the numbers

mean 1 – The easiest to recycle (normally consist of

soda and water bottles as well as many other common food packages.

2 – Easy to recycle as well. Mostly used to package bleach, detergents, milk, containers, hair products, etc.

3 – Found in pipes, toys, furniture, packaging 4 – Use for many types of wrapping such as

grocery bags and sandwich bags 5 – Mostly used in clothing, tubs, ropes, bottles,

auto parts 6 – Mostly used in coffee cups, foam food trays,

packaging peanuts 7 – Could be a mixture of any of the above or

plastics not readily recycle

Reference:Green living tips (2010). Recycling by the numbers. Retrieved on October 24, 2010 from http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/187/1/Recycling-by-the-numbers.html

Benefits of recycling Can help save energy and waterCan help reduce overcrowding in landfillsCan help reduce air pollutionCan help create jobs

References:Environment Green (2010). Recycling facts and the benefits of recycling. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.environment-green.com/Recycling Revolution (2010). Recycling facts. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

Facts about Recycling

Did you know thatIf all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about

250,000,000 trees each year!To produce each week's Sunday newspapers 500,000 trees

must be cut down.The average household throws away 13,000 separate pieces of

paper each year.

Reference:Recycling Revolution (2010). Recycling facts. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

Did you also know thatRecycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV

for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.

We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year.

Reference:Recycling Revolution (2010). Recycling facts. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

Plastic Recycling FactsWe use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour! Most of them are

thrown away!We throw away 25,000,000,000 Styrofoam coffee cups every

year

Reference:Recycling Revolution (2010). Recycling facts. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

Tire Recycling Facts• In the U.S., 920 million tires were used for non-commercial

vehicles on the road in 2005, and every year on average, 290 million tires are disposed of. That’s about one tire per person in this country alone. Approximately 27 million tires, or nine percent, are said to be discarded in landfills.

Reference:Earth 911 (2010). Facts about tires. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://earth911.com/recycling/automotive/tires/facts-about-tires/

Electronic Recycling FactsAlthough e-waste accounts for only 1 to 4 percent of municipal

waste, it may be responsible for as much as 70 percent of the heavy metals in landfills, including 40 percent of all lead.

In the U.S., we generate an estimated 1.5 billion pounds of e-waste in 2006 alone. This includes about 44 million computers and televisions.

Only 10% of wireless devices are being recycled

References:Earth 911 (2010). E-waste harmful material. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://earth911.com/recycling/electronics/e-waste-harmful-materials/ERecyclingCorps (2010). Reducing e-waste through reuse. Retrieved on October 24, 2010 from http://www.erecyclingcorps.com/t-Environment.aspx;

Glass Recycling FactsEvery month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper. All of these containers are 100% recyclable! In fact they can be recycled endlessly.

Reference:Recycling Revolution (2010). Recycling facts. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

Effects of not recycling

Solid Waste and Landfills The US population discards each year 16,000,000,000 diapers,

1,600,000,000 pens, 2,000,000,000 razor blades, 220,000,000 car tires, and enough aluminum to rebuild the US commercial air fleet four times over.

Reference: Recycling Revolution (2010). Recycling facts. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

Health Conditions that can occur from pollution Respiratory problems such as asthmaCancerPremature DeathBehavioral disordersKidney diseaseNeurological disordersCardiovascular problems

Reference:Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2010). About air toxics. Retrieved November 6, 2010 from http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/allabout.html

Other effects of not recycling can cause

Global Warming

What is Global Warming

Global warming is an increase in the temperature of Earth’s surface.

Reference:National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2007). Global warming. Retrieved on October 18, 2010 from http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/global_warming_worldbook.html

What causes Global WarmingIt occurs from an overabundance of carbon dioxide and other

air pollution that traps the sun’s heat and causes the earth to warm up.

Reference:National Resource Defense Council (2010). Global warming basics. Retrieved on October 18, 2010 from http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/f101.asp#1

What you can you do to help reduce global warming and pollutionRecycle food packaging (paper, plastic, aluminum, bottles,

cans, etc.Buy in bulkChoose fresh and local instead of packaged foodBank onlineOpt out of solicitation mailRecycle used oilHave a garage saleGreenscape your lawnBuy recycled products with recycled content.

Reference:Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2010). Reduce, reuse, recycle: practice the 3 r’s inside and out. Retrieved on October 18 from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/wycd/downloads/consumer.pdf

Other ways to help

If a recycling program exists in your community, start today by recycling your recyclable household items. If your community does not have a recycling program, help start one.

To start a recycling program in your community

Contact elected officials in your area

Contact your local solid waste department

Reference:Earth 911 (2010). Recycling 101. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://earth911.com/how-to/how-to-start-a-recycling-program/

Questions

References: Earth 911 (2010). Recycling 101. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://earth911.com/recycling/

Environment Green (2010). Recycling facts and the benefits of recycling. Retrieved on October 7, 2010 from http://www.environment-green.com/

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2010). Reduce, reuse, recycle: practice the 3 r’s inside and out. Retrieved on October 18 from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/wycd/downloads/consumer.pdf

ERecyclingCorps (2010). Reducing e-waste through reuse. Retrieved on October 24, 2010 from http://www.erecyclingcorps.com/t-Environment.aspx;

Green Living Tips (2010). Recycling by the numbers. Retrieved on October 24, 2010 from http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/187/1/Recycling-by-the-numbers.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2007). Global warming. Retrieved on October 18, 2010 from http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/global_warming_worldbook.html

National Center for Electronic Recycling (2007). About ncer. Retrieved on October 5, 2010 from http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/public/

National Resource Defense Council (2005). Global warming basics. Retrieved on October 18, 2010 from http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/f101.asp#1

Recycling Revolution (2010). Recycling facts. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

Word Reference.com (2010). Recycling. Retrieved on October 24, 2010 from http://www.wordreference.com/definition/recycling

Sources for further reading http://earth911.com/recycling/ - this site provides information concerning

everything you need to know about recycling http://www.environment-green.com/ - this site provides recycling facts and

benefits http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/index.htm - this site provides a list of

efforts and resources to conserve energy at home and work Electronics Recycling Directory: Directory of recyclers and others involved in

the electronics recycling industry - http://www.electronicsrecyclingdirectory.com/

1800Recycling.com: Directory of recycling locations and other green topics, including electronics recycling locations - http://1800recycling.com http://www.mygreenelectronics.org/ - this site enables you to do a search by zip code to find electronics recyclers in your area.

http://www.eiae.org/ - this site allows you to do a state-by-state search for electronics recyclers by using their "clickable" map.

http://earth911.org/electronics/ - this site enables you to do a search by zip code to find electronics recyclers in your area

Reference:National Center for Electronic Recycling (2007). About ncer. Retrieved on October 5, 2010 from http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/public/