04/22/08 Disposable Earth

The Disposable Earth. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. We have become a disposable society. It has been all about convenience. Use it. Throw it away. I remember vividly in the 60's driving down the road and chucking out drink cups, wrappers and all sorts of garbage. Then we became aware that our countryside was looking more like a landfill site so we slowly started becoming more aware. Now we are taking those steps even further with huge community recycling efforts. Gail Everett is the Environmental Education Coordinator in Richland, Washington who says that we really should be a lot more aware of what we are tossing that can be recycled. EVERETT: Realistically I think you'd be surprised. I would say 30% is recyclable and 20% would be compostable so we could really reduce our garbage by at least half if not more. We as a family have been recycling for years. Mostly plastic, glass and cans but one of the biggest complaints I hear for not recycling is that it takes too much time. EVERETT: You know it really doesn't take that much time. It really doesn't. When I recycle, I put everything on a little ledge in my kitchen and then when I go down stairs right before I jump in the car to go somewhere I just grab a couple of them and throw them in there. It's really not that hard. I think maybe initially to remember it might be a little adjustment but once you incorporate it into your life it is something you just do. Many communities around the Northwest have recycling programs and offer recycle bins either for home use or drop off locations. But what do you do if your area doesn't offer these conveniences? EVERETT: They can do a lot of things to reduce the amount of garbage they are throwing away. They can shop smarter, they can reuse things, repair things, donate them. With the gas prices I think we should focus on conservation of our errands, car-pooling, walking, riding a bike, getting that vehicle so it's not moving at all not only saves gas it saves the vehicle emissions so every little bit that we can do helps. Everett suggests going online for ideas on things you can do and gives us a number of good ideas. EVERETT: Use reusable sponges, rags and cloth towels. Try to avoid those paper towels. Use reusable bags. Buy the nylon or canvas tote bags and get into the habit of taking them into the grocery store when you shop. Reusing jars, bottles or other containers. Avoiding the disposable paper plates and plastic forks and spoons or tableware. And avoid excess packaging when you shop. Composting is another great way to reduce your garbage and your garden will greatly benefit. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.