Natural Resources are Important

An interesting editorial in the La Crosse Tribune (found via the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voter’s blog) talks about the importance of protecting our natural resources, like groundwater.  I would add the importance of residents participating in their local recycling program as a way to protect natural resources.

Wisconsin requires recycling by banning certain items from landfills.  These include items Waukesha residents can recycle in their curbside bins:

• plastic bottles & jugs (#1′s and #2′s)
• steel cans
• aluminum cans
• paper

Other items including grass clippings, tires, and motor oil are also banned from landfills.  By recycling these items, residents protect natural resources like 

• iron ore
• bauxite
• oil
• divers forests of trees

By reducing the demand for these natural resources we insure that the habitats effected by gathering these resources stay intact.  Two key habitats affected include the rain forests (bauxite) and temperate and boreal forests (trees used for paper products).

Despite the fact that recycling is such an easy way for residents to ease the strain on our natural resources, Wisconsin’s recycling rate hovers around 35%.  The national recycling rate for plastic #1 bottles (i.e. soda & water bottles) is an abysmal 23%.  As we all focus on Earth Day festivities this week and the importance of saving natural resources, consider a small action to make everyday Earth Day and make sure you recycle 100% of what you can.  

Want to do one better?  Tell a friend about the importance of recycling.  I’d love to hear ideas: how do you share recycling with those you know?

Recycling a fire extinguisher

 

Make sure to check your fire extinguishers annually.

 

 

What do you do with an old fire extinguisher?  I got this call today from a resident that was completing his annual safety check and needed to dispose of a non-working extinguisher.  

Option 1: Reuse  See if you can have your extinguisher refilled by looking up local company that deals with fire extinguishers.  If you plan on purchasing a new extinguisher, make sure they will take in your old one as a condition of your purchase.

Option 2: Recycle  The same companies mentioned above also may accept full fire extinguishers for a nominal fee or for free.  Otherwise, the city of Waukesha’s fire department recommends emptying the contents of the fire extinguisher outdoors in a safe environment.  You can then remove the top and recycle it as normal scrap metal, by taking it to a local scrap metal dealer or to a drop off location throughout the county.

 Fire extinguishers are usually made of steel.  Recycling steel is very important because of the economic and environmental affects.

· The energy saved each year by steel recycling is equal to the electrical power used annually by 18 million homes, or enough energy to last LA 8 years (Steel Recycling Institute 2003)

· Every ton of recycled steel conserves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone. (Steel Recycling Institute 2003)