Part I: 1/3/12
Today's topic is trash. Disposing of trash has huge environmental impacts.
Most of our trash is buried in landfills, holes in the ground that are covered with dirt.

Some trash will eventually rot and in the process it may smell or generate methane gas,
which is explosive and contributes to the greenhouse effect. There are regulations that require the
landfills to gather and burn the methane that is produced in the landfills, and some of our landfills
use that methane to generate electricity. Unfortunately because people improperly throw old fluorescent
light bulbs in the trash, the methane gas burned at landfills is high in mercury.

Because they are small emitters of mercury they are not regulated by the EPA.

Most places that sell fluorescent light bulbs also recycle them so be sure to properly dispose of all your
fluorescent light bulbs.

Incinerating trash also causes problems, because plastics produce toxic substances, such as dioxins, when they are burnt.
Gases from incineration cause air pollution and contribute to acid rain, while the ash from incinerators may contain heavy
metals and other toxins. Because of these problems there are active campaigns against trash incineration. However, burning
trash can generate energy and there is promising progress with biomass and energy from waste projects.

Throwing away things wastes resources. It wastes the raw materials and energy used in making the items and it wastes money.
Reducing waste means less environmental impact, less resources and energy used and saves money.
Green builders have found that they can recycle almost all of the garbage of construction further reducing their environmental impact.

Waste reduction
The government is committed to reducing the amount of trash we produce and has set targets for trash reduction.
They have developed and promote a wide range of trash reducing goods and services such as composting, refilling
containers rather than buying new containers, repair shops that repair things rather than throw them away. Reducing
packaging is another way to reduce trash.

Recycle
Recycling reduces the demand for raw materials. This means less mining, quarrying or logging. Many parts of the world have
been blighted by mining, quarrying and logging, which destroy the natural environment and wildlife habitats and may cause
environmental and health problems for local people. Transporting raw materials around the world uses fossil fuels and has an
environmental impact.

Recycling uses less energy than producing goods from virgin material, and also results in fewer emissions. The manufacture of bags
made from recycled rather than virgin polythene reduces energy consumption by two-thirds, produces only a third of the sulfur dioxide
and half of the nitrous oxide, uses only one-eighth of the water, and reduces carbon dioxide generation.

A great many materials could be recycled but what can be recycled in practice is dependent on economics. Aluminum is worth
recycling because it can easily be turned into new aluminum products, and because aluminum is quite expensive. Steel is much cheaper
to produce so there is less incentive to recycle it, although it can easily be recycled. The economics of recycling improves if there is a
market for goods made with recycled raw materials. So buying recycled promotes recycling.

Recycling electronics is much easier than it used to be. There are now many options for donating or recycling your old laptop,
tablet or cell phone when you get a new model. Just be sure to clear your personal data first.

Locally, the Allentown recycling center recycles aluminum foil food containers and aluminum foil and brown paper bags.
The Bethlehem recycling center recycles plastics one through six and Styrofoam. They both recycle paper cardboard metals glass and cans.

After Christmas recycle your wrapping paper and Christmas tree. Generally, the recycled trees are chipped and converted to mulch.
Start a compost pile for your compostibles.

Go to the web site: earth 911 to find out where to recycle what your local recycling center will not take.

Part II: 1/10/12

Recycling is only one aspect of waste reduction. There are other steps which can be taken. Only recycle things if you are sure they cannot be repaired or reused.
Refuse:
" Don't buy things you don't need.
" Avoid disposable products, designed to be thrown away.
" Don't buy over packaged goods.

Reduce:
" Buy things that are well made and will last.
" Buy things in returnable containers - and return or recycle the containers once empty.
" Concentrated products like HD laundry detergent give you more active ingredient but make sure you do not use too much - follow the instructions.
" Buying in bulk, if you have the money and storage space and need the goods, reduces the amount of packaging.
" Try to avoid buying over packaged goods. Some packaging is useful, protecting the contents, providing somewhere to print information about the product and making it easier for shopkeepers to handle.
" Taking your own shopping bag means you don't need to use plastic carrier bags.
" Disposable diapers are bulky and difficult to dispose of. Try using reusable washable diapers instead.
" Using rechargeable batteries and recharging electrical appliances will save on batteries.
" There is a web site where you can opt out of receiving junk mail, which reduces the amount of junk mail you will receive.
Refill:
" For some products refill packs can be bought, which use less packaging.
Reuse:
Lots of things can be reused. If you can't reuse them yourself try to find someone else who can.
" Jam-jars and bottles: if you don't make jams or preserves find someone who does. They can also be used for storing all manner of things - but make sure they are properly labelled.
" Plastic bags can be reused several times as shopping bags, can be used to take items to be reused/recycled, they can be used as small trash can liners and can be recycled at most grocery stores.
" Old clothes, books, toys, unwanted gifts and household goods are easy to reuse: give them to a thrift shop.
" Envelopes can be reused with a reuse label (plain or printed) or can be used as scrap paper or recycled.
Repair:
Any items, especially electrical items, can be repaired. There are still specialist repair shops though these may not be easy to find. In some places special schemes have been set up which create work for people by collecting and refurbishing second-hand electrical equipment and furniture.
If you have things which cannot be reused, repaired or recycled please dispose of them carefully. Do not throw garden and household chemicals, or paint, or engine oil, down the drain. Don't use the toilet to dispose of waste. If in doubt about how to dispose safely of something, contact your local authorities. There are local hazardous waste disposal days, contact your county or local government.