Refuse

Not only is recycling materials important, but there is another way to reduce the amount of recyclable materials. That is to REFUSE.

Refuse to use materials that can be used only once. Those wonderful Red Solo cups is an example. This cups are amazing for parties, picnics, and barbecues. All you have to do is go to the store and pick up a bag full of these cups. Your guests will be happy because now they can quench their thirst. You will be happy because your guests will not be using your precious glassware. But what happens when the party is over? The cups are placed into an overflowing garbage bag. And then taken to curb for garbage pick-up.

Most people do not think about happens after the trash is picked up. It's not their problem anymore. So, what does happen to those Red Solo cups? Well, once your garbage is picked up from your curb, they are placed into the garbage truck. The truck has a mechanism inside of it that compacts all the trash. Once this happens, those Red Solo cups are getting crushed and broken into pieces. The garbage bag most likely has split open. Once the truck has made all of it's rounds, it goes to the landfill. Landfills are carefully designed so that way waste does not seep into groundwater. Trash is buried in landfills. Waste does not degrade very quickly. The truck dumps all the trash it has collected into a hole at the landfill. Once again, there are machines to compact the waste so it is air tight. Once the hole is filled, it gets covered up.

There are animals at the landfill- birds, rodents, insects, small mammals. These animals scavenge the landfills for food. The Red Solo cups are most likely all over the place in tiny pieces. Animals can get a hold of these pieces and will try to eat them. There are many problems with this. One, the animals could choke and die. Two, the animals could eat the plastic and it could cause problems within their body, such as cutting their intestines, which could cause them to die. Three, the animals could eat the pieces of plastic and the plastic could run it's course. The animal could be far away from the landfill at this time and it needs to relieve itself. Now, the plastic is outside of the landfill in a park.

Now, most people would say who cares, it is just a little piece of plastic.  Okay, you are right. It is just plastic. But there are toxins in plastic that can cause harm to humans, animals, and the environment. Plastics can decompose in direct contact with sunlight, but that takes a really long time. Many plastics make its way into recycling centers, but plastic makes its way into woods, forests, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Animals will think its food and consume these materials. In turn, humans consume animals and now we just absorbed the toxins from the plastic material from the animal.

Toxins from plastics can cause alarming problems to humans. There have been studies performed that toxins from plastic can cause certain cancers, obesity when exposed at a young age, and even diabetes.

So, the next time that you think those Red Solo cups or any other kind of one single-use item is ideal. Think again and refuse.