First Time Buyers: Go Green, Recycle!

You know, it wasn't until I saw an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show conce
ing the growing problem of landfills that are full of materials that will never go away, that I realized how extremely important it is to recycle. Unfortunately many things that we use on a daily basis and simply discard ends up in landfills and in our water sources. Those plastic bags we get our groceries in, water bottles we buy, use and discard by the dozens and Styrofoam cups, utensils, plates and containers we get from our favorite restaurants are all detrimental to our environment. The problem with these materials is that they are non-biodegradable which means that no natural process can break them down, they can not return to their original state. Other types of trash that is non-biodegradable are glass, cans and vinyl. These objects collect in the environment, litter and cause pollution.
Have you ever heard of the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”? It is two large masses of ever accumulating trash, known as the Western and Eastern Garbage Patches. Scientist estimate its size as two times bigger tha
Texas. Wow! Can you imagine that much garbage floating in our ocean? I don't know about you but I find that frightening and utterly disgusting! The Western Garbage Patch forms east of Japan and west of Hawaii. Each swirling mass of refuse is massive and collects trash from all over the world. Eighty percent of ocean trash originates on land. The biggest culprit appears to be PLASTIC which constitutes 90 percent of all trash floating in the world’s oceans. The durability that makes plastic so useful to humans also makes it quite harmful to nature. This floating garbage kills wildlife, damages boats and submarine equipment, and litters beaches.
Now at first glance it may seem to you that this problem is far from you and your family since you probably don't live anywhere near the ocean but in fact it is a lot closer to you than you think. We are all connected in this cycle. These poison-filled masses threaten the entire food chain, especially when eaten by small marine life that are then consumed by larger creatures. Talk about never missing your water until the well runs dry or when its over run with trash. Maybe you’ll consider that the next time you have some ocean perch?
However, there is something we all can do to prevent this problem from getting worse. Recycle, recycle, recycle! Did I say recycle? Most communities have a recycling program in place, use it! My family trash output has decreased tremendously now that we utilize those recycling bins to the max. There is one for paper, old mail, magazines and another for bottles, cans, aluminum and plastic goods. By recycling we keep using the products that have already been created, which saves money, it also saves on our natural resources such as oil and trees. Recycling also helps prevent the increase of what is already a serious pollution problem. Another solution is to replace non-biodegradable materials with ones specifically designed to biodegrade (break down naturally, decompose). There are now biodegradable forms of Styrofoam and plastic. My First Michigan Home encourages you to visit sites like www.familyeducation.com for more helpful tips on how to preserve the environment