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I believe there are many things that individuals can do to preserve the planet, like composting, gardening, eating leftovers, reducing electricity use, and the list goes on. But on an individual level, I believe that recycling is the most basic thing you can do for the planet and for your community. As I’ve traveled to other countries, it’s fascinating to me how their recycling systems are set up compared to the United States. When I was in Germany, I asked our tour guide how important it was for individuals to recycle and how their recycling was sorted. She then pointed to a building and told me that if everyone didn’t sort their recycling properly (in a small complex outside), the whole building would be fined. Recycling seemed habitual for the community, like an action that needed no thought. It changed my perspective on how Americans should view recycling. Growing up in my old neighborhood, recycling was free for us, and a bin was provided as well. I was always beside myself when my neighbor across the street still made a conscious effort to not recycle. He had all the resources and the privilege to be able to help the planet and still chose not to. Looking back on it, I believe this choice was a result of a lack of understanding about how recycling works, and really how simple it can be when you have the proper resources. In this article I will be focusing on how simple recycling can be within your own community, and the positive impact you can have by making the conscious effort to recycle.
When learning about how to recycle an item, there are a few things to understand. The first I would like to share is how the recycling symbols can be decoded. On every single item of plastic that has ever been produced, there is a recycling symbol. This symbol is the triangle with the number inside of it. There is a common misconception that when this symbol is on a piece of plastic, it is automatically recyclable. It turns out that recycling is a little more complex than this! There are 7 different symbols which you can find out the codes for by clicking here. When finding out which items to recycle in your community, you can rely on a list indicating which of these symbols are recyclable, or you can simply find a list of materials themselves that are recyclable. When finding a list of materials that are recyclable within your community/county, you can look on your county website. For example, I live in Fishers, Indiana in Hamilton County. For those in my county, you can find a list of acceptable recycled items through the hazardous waste department by clicking here! For information on how to recycle everyday items, click here. I believe that when more people gain the resources to recycle and become informed about how it works specifically within their own community, the positive impact will benefit not only the county but the planet as a whole. Comments are closed.
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