Day #2 and #3: What’s In Your Trash?

For the next two days, you are going to make note of what is in your trash can and observe what you use and throw away.

 No, you don’t have to dig around in the trash!  🙂 . Just check out whatever you can see and make a note on your worksheet.

 If you’re out and about a lot, be aware of what you are throwing away and make a note of it on your worksheet. 

 We are just trying to get a sense of how we are currently doing things and and to be aware of our actions.

So, why is it important to create less trash? Why bother?

Consider this…

According to the Environmental Protection Agency every person in the US produces about 4 pounds of garbage a DAY! That adds up to over 251 tons of trash a year! It’s such a big number it’s almost impossible to imagine!

Okay, but it ends up in a landfill or gets recycled, right?

Wrong, unfortunately. Much of the trash we produce, often accidently, is transported by wind, water or humans and makes its way into the environment.

Animals can be harmed by this trash by becoming entangled in it or mistaking it for food. And microplastics (plastic that has broken down) can and are making their way into the food chain…and the food we eat!

One big example of what happens to trash that makes its way into the environment is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is a floating mass of garbage spanning 100’s of miles in the Pacific Ocean. Unbelievably there are multiple patches. And, it’s estimated that 80% of the trash in it comes from land-based activities in North America and Asia. What???

I know this sounds unbelievable, but it’s true.

Check out this video to see for yourself.

THIS is why it’s important to create less trash!

See you tomorrow!