It All Adds Up

To be honest, I was never one to make an effort to recycle, except for re-using the back of printer paper every now and then. Turns out, as a result of this project, my habits are clearly changing. I have started recycling paper and water bottles, ( I typically don't drink anything that comes in an aluminum can or glass bottle anyway). Moreover, I have started not using straws and lids on my cups. Though this seems so small, this amounts to a large impact. Let's do the math.....

3 meals a day=3 lids a day

3 lids a day x 7 days in a week = 21 lids

21 lids in a week x 4 weeks in a month = 84 lids in one month or 4,368 lids in one year

Let's repeat that...4,368 lids in a year on average! That's alot of plastic for just one person!

So if just one class of approximately 30 people decided to give up plastic lids for a year, or ensure that they recycle the plastic lids, that would save 131, 040 lids from trashing the environment. If just those 30 people gave up straws too, thats would be 262,080 LESS items of plastic going into a landfill. Not only is this less waste, but less energy and gas to manufacture and transport these items.

So next time you think one person can't make much of an impact, think again. It all adds up.

Kacey Stark