From Staff Reports – tsnews@sjnewsco.com
Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Deputy Speaker John J. Burzichelli, and Assemblywoman Celeste M. Riley are encouraging residents to be mindful of environmental concerns and do everything possible to conserve our natural resources while reducing waste.
As the amount of items, ranging from food scraps to packaging to electronics, that get used and thrown away each year rises, it is particularly important for residents to do their part to decrease the amount of waste they generate, especially the waste that cannot be recycled and ends up discarded in a landfill.
There are many ways this can be done with an environmentally-friendly outlook, as the hottest June on record in the region serves as a reminder about the impact people have on the changing climate and what should be done to combat global warming.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, which features a Household Emissions Calculator on its website, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash in 2008, while recycling and composting 83 million tons of this material, roughly one-third of the total amount of trash. While these figures demonstrate vast improvements compared to the recycling rate in 1980, which was below 10 percent, more can be done to reduce, reuse, and recycle the approximately 4.5 pounds of waste generated by each person per day.
The Third District legislators provide some helpful suggestions to take a more active role in the conservation effort.
“The effort to conserve natural resources while managing the amount of waste generated can best be summed up by the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle,” said Sweeney. “Residents should be aware of all three aspects when acting in an environmentally-friendly manner, as those individual parts combine to utilize resources in the most efficient way possible.
Reducing waste can be done by simply minimizing the use of packaging, such as buying products that are concentrated or sold in bulk, and using batteries with reduced mercury helps reduce toxicity. Choosing reusable products over disposable, and recycling materials that should not be put in the trash can are all important ways to help the cause.”
Burzichelli added that when moving or shipping anything, reusing products such as boxes, newspapers, bubblewrap, and packing peanuts allows these items to serve a better purpose, rather than being placed in the trash can.
“In the kitchen, cloth napkins, dishcloths, tableware, and utensils that are strong and washable are preferable to their disposable counterparts,” he said. “Also, buying furniture, tools, sports equipment, and toys that are durable and will hold up over time will not only save money, but will save space in our landfills. When you are done with such products and want to get rid of them, offer them to someone else who might want them, rather than throw them away.”
Riley said many common household items can and should be recycled, such as bottles, cans, boxes, and containers, which can then be made usable again.
“Items you might instinctively throw away can actually become the centerpieces of arts and crafts projects for children and adults,” she said. “Even if something does not seem to hold further value, consider what it might mean to someone else. Simply holding a garage sale or donating the item to charity will allow what might have been discarded as waste to serve a better purpose.”
Additional ideas to aid in the conservation effort include:
- Learning to compost for your garden
- Switching to canvas bags in place of plastic shopping bags
- Disposing old paint and chemicals properly
- Exploring recycling opportunities at your office
- Buying products that were made from recycled materials
- Educating yourself about the recycling process and what can be done
Residents should contact their municipality for additional information about recycling programs in effect. Residents should also be aware of their county’s upcoming dates and locations for hazardous and special waste collection events:
Salem County: Oct. 16. Residents should call (856) 935-7900 extension 15 for details.
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