Check out the bottle counter on the right. It represents the number of bottles NOT going to recycling. They are going in a landfill, on the ground, into our waterways and/or out to our oceans. When I was out in both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, plastic drink bottles were the most recognizable item in the seas. Plastics that could be used to make polyester for clothing as well as carpeting. It's as much a resource as coal, petroleum oil, and electricity. Did I say electricity? Yes, burning plastics that cannot be recycled is another way we can reuse plastics. Bermuda, an island that has exhausted its landfills, burns trash for energy. Although it has CO2 emissions, it is no worse than burning coal and in many newer incinerators, like the one in Wilmington, NC, they can burn much cleaner than coal. So do the right thing, put your recycliables in the bin and help slow down the counter on the right, and help make something out of one time use plastics!
To learn more: http://www.ncconservationnetwork.org/mainblog/2009/06/03/plastic-bottles-must-be-recycled-in-nc
This blog shares the research experiences and findings conducted at University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW faculty and students) in conjunction with Plastic Ocean Project. Earlier posts share open-ocean sampling and adventures in the North and South Atlantic, the South Pacific and the North Pacific Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Outreach and education is the primary purposes to bring global awareness to an issue that has reached a crisis level in the marine environment.
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