Green for Service - Use Some Trash and Help the Environment
Saving every Litter Bit Helps!
In the United States, about 56 tons of trash per year is created by a single person (http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html). It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out how much waste is accumulated by the U.S. alone. We need to protect the world we live in, and there are very simple ways to do this!
How Can I Help?
One of the easiest things you can do as a college student is to become more conscious of what you throw away. One thing that may help you to understand what you throw away is to create a “trash chart” and write down everything you throw away for two weeks.
After that, think about what you have thrown away and try to come up with a different and creative way you could use those items! Here are some examples:
- Save boxes for moving or gift-giving time.
- Refill your printer cartridges.
- Get coffee in a reusable mug or cold drinks in the EIU reusable bottle.
- Wash and reuse plastic containers to store leftovers rather than using tin foil.
- Reuse/recycle plastic bags.
- Recycle aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and newspapers.
- Consider donating goods that you may throw away (lamps, chairs, mirrors, etc.)
- Collect old items and make useful artwork — ever heard of a cassette-tape trash can?
This is just a handful of ideas for reducing your trash consumption. For more information about this topic, please visit http://www.epa.gov/osw/wycd/catbook/ to learn about other interesting ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle!
Still Want More?
If you would like to volunteer for more than 15 minutes to help the environment, check out Douglas-Hart Nature Center (217-235-4644) and Embarrass Volunteer Stewards (217-345-6476). Both organizations are committed to the education, enjoyment and conservation of the world we live in. If you have any more questions about recycling or other volunteer opportunities, please contact us at 217-581-6048 or volunteer@eiu.edu.
