Take advantage of new recycling program
Because everything we need can be produced so quickly and cheaply, we tend to ignore the repercussions our waste has on our environment. In today's disposable economy, it often seems easier to throw away old products and just buy new ones.
Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the world in which we live. Recycling is important to both the natural environment and to us.
According to Keep America Beautiful, recycling plastic saves two times the energy as burning it in an incinerator. Recycling aluminum saves 95 percent of the energy needed to produce new aluminum from raw materials, and the energy saved from recycling one ton of aluminum is equal to the amount of electricity the average home uses over 10 years! That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can. That's a lot of Diet Coke!
On average, every person in Macon-Bibb County throws away six pounds of trash a day, according to a study conducted by consulting firm A. Goldsmith Resources. I am convinced my family generates its fair share -- and then some. The study was conducted in April 2015 in an effort to develop a plan in anticipation of the closing of the Walker Road landfill by 2020.
On Jan. 4, Macon-Bibb County residents were offered the opportunity to participate in expanded recycling services. Now, every home will have the opportunity to have curbside single stream recycling, something many residents have been requesting for several years.
How do I do it with my busy schedule, you ask? It's easier than you think. Mainly, keep it simple with household habits to make recycling as convenient as possible. Designate a spot for recycling within your home so you -- and the family -- can make recycling part of your daily routine.
If possible, choose a spot in or near the kitchen -- where most of the solid waste is generated. It's good if this spot is also convenient for hauling away items for curbside pickup. Use your imagination: a corner in the laundry room or a closet could be the designated place.
You could also locate your space in the garage as it's a convenient location to remind you to haul items to the recycle container for pickup. That's my spot, next to the garage door so that my son remembers it -- with a lot of help from his dad.
The following items can be recycled: cardboard, paper, food boxes, beverage and food cans, plastic jars, milk and juice jugs, plastic bottles and caps.
The following items cannot be recycled: Plastic grocery bags, Styrofoam, shredded paper, wet paper, pizza boxes, glass, milk and juice cartons, take out containers, paper coffee cups, baby diapers, aerosol cans, batteries, scrap metals and ceramics.
Curbside service will be picked up every other week on the same day as your garbage and yard waste pickup. Please remember, recycling and waste cans should be placed on the curb with the handle toward your house.
To request a new 65-gallon rolling recycling can online, visit http://en.seeclickfix.com/macon_bibb_county_ga/report or call 478-803-0499. For additional information, visit http://sw.maconbibb.us.
Contact county Extension agent Keishon J. Thomas at 478-751-6338 or thomaskj@uga.edu.
This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Take advantage of new recycling program ."