The Three Rs of the Environment

Earth-Altering Accidents
Accidents happen, but when they destroy the delicate balance of nature or cause a large number of people to suffer, they become disasters. Here are some of the largest disasters that have been caused by human activity.
Love Canal
1953, New York, U.S.
Love Canal, a small town in upstate New York near Niagara Falls, was destroyed by waste from chemical plants. Beginning in 1947, chemical companies could legally dump their waste products into the canal. In the 1950s, families began to settle in the area without being told about the waste and the health problems it might cause. The area developed a foul smell, trees lost their bark, and leaves fell throughout the year. In the 1970s, scientists found that the drinking water contained excessive levels of 82 industrial chemicals, 7 of which were thought to cause cancer. The people of Love Canal had an unusually high rate of cancer and birth defects. Eventually, many of the houses had to be abandoned. By the 1990s, the town had been cleaned up enough for families to begin moving back to the area.
Three Mile Island
1979, Pennsylvania, U.S.
On March 28, 1979, the worst accident in U.S. nuclear-reactor history occurred at the Three Mile Island power station, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. No one was killed, and very little radioactivity was released into the air when coolant (the fluid that keeps a machine cool) escaped from the reactor core due to a combination of mechanical failure and human error.
Bhopal chemical leak
December 1984, Bhopal, India
An explosion in the Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India, released a deadly gas called methyl isocyanate, which is used to make pesticides. The gas formed a cloud that killed 2,500 people; another 50,000-100,000 people became ill. Trees and plants in the area became yellow and brittle. The explosion was caused by a mechanical failure that was not noticed in time to stop it.
Chernobyl
April 1986, Ukraine, former Soviet Union
At 1:23 A.M. on Saturday, April 26, 1986, the reactor blew at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, ripping open the core, blowing the roof off the building, starting more than 30 fires, and allowing radioactive material to leak into the air. Some 31 people were killed and nearly 300 people were treated for radiation poisoning. Glaring violations of safety rules were at the bottom of this tragic event.
Exxon Valdez oil spill
March 1989, Alaska, U.S.
On March 24, 1989, 11.2 million gallons of crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound from the tanker Exxon Valdez when its hull hit a reef and tore open. The spill, which cost billions of dollars to clean up and killed millions of birds, fish, and other wildlife, was caused by human error and could have been avoided.
Jilin Chemical Plant Explosion
November 2005, Jilin City, China
On November 13, 2005, a series of explosions in a petrochemical plant killed six people, injured at least 70, and forced over 10,000 residents to evacuate. The explosions reached at least 200 meters in diameter and caused 80 kilometers of severe pollution in the Songhua River. The major pollutants, benzene and nitrobenzene, which are linked to leukemia, were recorded at levels over 100 times national safety standards. Water supplies were shut off in affected areas making it necessary to bring water from other nearby sources.
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
April 2010, Gulf of Mexico
The Deepwater Horizon, a semi-submersible drilling rig, sank on April 22, after an April 20th explosion on the vessel. Eleven people died in the blast. When the rig sank, the riser—the 5,000-foot-long pipe that connects the wellhead to the rig—became detached and began leaking oil. In addition, U.S. Coast Guard investigators discovered a leak in the wellhead itself. As much as 5,000 barrels (200,000 gallons) of oil per day were leaking into the water, threatening wildlife along the Louisiana Coast. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared it a "spill of national significance." As many as 1,000 people and dozens of ships and aircraft were enlisted to help in the cleanup. BP (British Petroleum), which leased the Deepwater Horizon, is responsible for the cleanup, but the U.S. Navy supplied the company with resources to help contain the slick. If the slick reaches the coastline, it could dwarf the Exxon Valdez in terms of environmental damage.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
March 2011, Japan
On Saturday, March 12, an explosion in reactor No. 1 caused one of the buildings to crumble to the ground. The cooling system at the reactor failed shortly after the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. By Tuesday, March 15, two more explosions and a fire at the plant had officials and workers struggling to regain control of four reactors. The fire, which happened at reactor No. 4, was contained by noon on Tuesday, but not before the incident released radioactivity directly into the atmosphere.
Fact Sheet: The Three R's - Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle

Why should we care about the 3 Rs? * Each Australian produces on average about one tonne of rubbish per year. * 22.45 million tonnes of waste was sent landfill across the country in 2002. * In 2004-2005 over 5.6 million tonnes were dumped in NSW landfills, making us one of the highest waste producers in the world. * On average, over 80% of what we throw away can be recycled and/or reused. * Studies have shown that while we are recycling more, we are also throwing more away.

Reduce

Be a smart consumer and look for: * Goods with little or no packaging; * Concentrates or refills; * Items that can be repaired or reused; * Items made from materials that can be recycled - like cardboard and aluminium; * Recycled products - such as paper, aluminium cans, glass bottles and some plastic containers; and * Energy and water-saving products.

When shopping: * Always take your own reusable shopping bags; * Avoid single-use items and over-packaged items; and * Ask yourself the question - do I really need this much?

Re-use

Find another way of using something rather than throwing it away, for example: * Use glass jars for storage; * Magazines, paper, cardboard and some aluminium foil items can be used for craft or school projects; * Hold a garage sale instead of throwing things away; * Donate old clothes and games to charity organisations; and * Start composting or worm-farming, it's great fun and is good for your garden or pot plants.

Recycle * Recycling saves precious resources and energy. * According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 97 percent of all households participate in the national kerbside recycling system. * In NSW most homes have recycling bins for cans, bottles, paper and cardboard. Our recycling is taken to a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) and sorted by a series of machines and people, then transferred for reprocessing into new products. * In 2004 / 2005 1.009 million tonnes of recyclables where collected from kerbsides in NSW.

Recycling Tips - Sort it, check it, keep it clean * Sort your items, and check with your council information to make sure they can be recycled. * Check that the plastics you are recycling have the right tattoo or plastics recycling code number on the bottom (see fact sheet on Plastics). * Remove all lids and put them in the garbage bin, and recycle your real corks through your local Girl Guides Association. * Rinse out your recycling after you've finished the washing-up - it doesn't use any extra water and it stops pests invading your recycling bin. * If you are not sure what recyclables your local council collects, check on Recycling Near You.

Don't contaminate your recycling. It can cause problems at the Materials Recycling Facility and result in materials being discarded instead of re-used. Please don't put these items into the recycling or garden organics bin: * Food waste - including pizza boxes and leftovers; * Medical waste, such as needles and dialysis bags; * Plastic bags - even the ones with symbols on them; * Disposable nappies; * Polystyrene boxes and cups; * Disposable plastic cutlery; and * Chemicals, paints, car batteries or hazardous materials - contact your local council about proper disposal and collection programs.

Close the Loop and Buy It Back!
There's no point in recycling if we don't buy back the products made from recycled materials. As consumers we can have a great influence on the kinds of products made available to us, by changing our shopping habits and choosing environmentally-friendly products.

So the next time you go shopping, whether it's for home, school or play, look for items that are either made from recycled materials or can be recycled or reused. *
How long does it take for trash to biodegrade ?
Many household trash take much longer to biodegrade than you thought. In general, organic waste tend to decompose quickly in landfills, but if they are overly compressed, like plastic bottle or bags which seal out oxygen and soil microbes, then they are even tougher than inorganic materials.
How long does it take for trash to biodegrade ?
Plastic soda bottles ............ forever
Glass bottles ............ 1 million years
Batteries ............ 100 years
Aluminum + tin cans ............ 50 to 100 years
Plastic bags ............ 10 to 20 years
Orange peel ............ 6 months
Paper ............ 2 to 5 months

The Three R's of the Environment
Every year, Americans throw away 50 billion food and drink cans, 27 billion glass bottles and jars, and 65 million plastic and metal jar and can covers. More than 30% of our waste is packaging materials. Where does it all go? Some 85% of our garbage is sent to a dump, or landfill, where it can take from 100 to 400 years for things like cloth and aluminum to decompose. Glass has been found in perfect condition after 4,000 years in the earth!
We are quickly running out of space. It's time to learn the three R's of the environment: reduce, reuse, recycle. Then practice what you preach: don't buy things you don't need or items that come in wasteful packaging or that cannot be recycled. Reuse and recycle whatever you can.
Reduce
Reducing the amount of waste you produce is the best way to help the environment. There are lots of ways to do this. For example: * Buy products that don't have a lot of packaging. Some products are wrapped in many layers of plastic and paperboard even though they don't need to be. You can also look for things that are packed in materials that don't require a lot of energy or resources to produce. Some products will put that information right on their labels. * Instead of buying something you're not going to use very often, see if you can borrow it from someone you know. * Cars use up energy and cause pollution. Some ways to reduce the environmental damage caused by cars include carpooling with friends, walking, taking the bus, or riding your bike instead of driving. * Start a compost bin. Some people set aside a place in their yard where they can dispose of certain food and plant materials. Over time, the materials will break down through a natural process called decomposition. The compost is good for the soil in your yard and means that less garbage will go to the landfill. * You can reduce waste by using a computer! Many newspapers and magazines are online now. Instead of buying the paper versions, you can find them on the Internet. Also remember that you should print out only what you need. Everything you print that you don't really need is a waste of paper. * Save energy by turning off lights that you are not using. * Save water by turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth. * Lots of families receive a large amount of advertisements and other junk mail that they do not want. You can stop the mailings and reduce waste by writing to the following address and requesting that they take your name off of their distribution list:
Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
Reuse
Instead of throwing things away, try to find ways to use them again! For example: * Bring cloth sacks to the store with you instead of taking home new paper or plastic bags. You can use these sacks again and again. You'll be saving some trees! * Plastic containers and reusable lunch bags are great ways to take your lunch to school without creating waste. * Coffee cans, shoe boxes, margarine containers, and other types of containers people throw away can be used to store things or can become fun arts and crafts projects. Use your imagination! * Don't throw out clothes, toys, furniture, and other things that you don't want anymore. Somebody else can probably use them. You can bring them to a center that collects donations, give them to friends, or even have a yard sale. * Use all writing paper on both sides. * Use paper grocery bags to make book covers rather than buying new ones. * Use silverware and dishes instead of disposable plastic utensils and plates. * Store food in reusable plastic containers.
Recycle
Many of the things we use every day, like paper bags, soda cans, and milk cartons, are made out of materials that can be recycled. Recycled items are put through a process that makes it possible to create new products out of the materials from the old ones.
In addition to recycling the things you buy, you can help the environment by buying products that contain recycled materials. Many brands of paper towels, garbage bags, greeting cards, and toilet paper, to name a few examples, will tell you on their labels if they are made from recycled materials.
In some towns you can leave your recyclables in bins outside your home, and a truck will come and collect them regularly. Other towns have recycling centers where you can drop off the materials you've collected. Things like paper and plastic grocery bags, and plastic and aluminum cans and bottles can often be brought to the grocery store for recycling. Whatever your system is, it's important to remember to rinse out and sort your recyclables! Recycle Symbol |