Green Housing: Recycle
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Energy Bill Legislation: A Blow to Alternative Energy.
On December 13th, the US Senate voted on a watered down version of the bill that left renewable energy supporters agast... read more
Articles & News
New Energy Standards for Automobiles
While the Recent Energy Bill passed by the senate and approved by the president left the renewable energy industry out to dry, the bill did pass improved standards in the auto-industry...
Read This Article.
Why Recycle?
Manufacturing with recyclables takes far less energy than using raw materials. Raw materials must be harvested and mined, transported and then processed into the final product we find on our store shelves - the energy used during this production results in a large number of green house gas emissions. Here's an interesting chart I received from my local waste management. It shows the amount of product that can be made using the same amount of energy from common recyclables vs. the raw product:
-- Aluminum: 20 recyclables = 1 raw
-- Glass: 4 recyclables = 1 raw
-- Steel: 4 recyclables = 1 raw
-- Plastic: 1.5 recyclables = 1 raw
Using EPA statistics, they calculated that curbside recycling in San Diego reduced Green House Gas' by more than 51,000 metric tons of carbon equivalent in 2006, but that we could double that number by recycling more.
What to Recycle Curbside
San Diego residents can view these two links for what can and can't be recycled:
Yes, Recycle this
No, Don't recycle this
The City of San Diego Environmental Services Department says, "Recycle all your plastic bottles, and jars, except those that contained hazardous materials (motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, solvents, etc.). If your plastic item is not a botle or a jar it does not go in the blue bin. By following this rule, 90% of the plastic you put in the blue bin will be recycled and the rest will be pulled out for disposal."
Read more on Recycling Programs at RecycleOrElse.com
Recycling Your Yard Waste
Yard waste pick up comes every other week in San Diego. You can put most of your yard trimmings, leaves, cut grass, and other plant matter in a trash can to be picked up. It is then taken to the landfill, turned into mulch and given away by the truckload. There are some plants that can damage machinery, so please visit the website to check:
Acceptable Yard Waste
Some Things You May Not Know
Here's a list of random tidbits of recycling knowledge:
- Plastic bags and other film plastic, including newspaper sleeves, shrink wrap, and dry cleaner bags can be recycled at your local grocery store.
- Packing peanuts can be taken to shipping stores like Mail Boxes, Etc. and UPS for reuse.
- Pet Waste can be a major contaminant of our water supply. Pet waste contains disease causing bacteria and parasites that degrade water quality, endanger humans, and impact the health of aquatic life. Dispose of your pet waste properly by: using underground pet waste digesters available at pet stores, flushing pet waste down the toilet, or secure it in a plastic bag and place in curbside trash.
Buy Products Made of Recycled Materials
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