November 15th: America Recycles Day

The US Environmental Protection Agency has set aside November 15^th as America Recycles Day! This is the day America can "recommit to recycling for the health of the planet."

Recycling is a very important part in reducing pollution, along with "reduce" and "reuse." Today, we are able to recycle many things, even electronics, but a lot of these items are still making their way into our landfills. Current recycling rates are remaining at about 33% of solid waste, which leaves more than 54% of solid waste in landfills. Keep in mind, the average American discards about 4.5 POUNDS of trash each day.

Some valuable items that we can recycle include:

• Glass bottles and Jars
  
• Plastic Detergent and Soda bottles
  
• Aluminum cans
  
• Paper containers and packaging
  
• Yard clippings
  
• Food scraps
  
• Electronic devices.
  

Schools across the nation are offering paper recycling bins to help recycle AND raise money for schools, so keep an eye out for those. Another important piece of information to remember: ONE can of soda can save enough energy to fuel your television for TWO HOURS!