How the landfill works

If you have ever wanted to know how the landfill works or why it costs so much to operate. Click on the link below and you will have an elementary view of the inner workings. It is a simply flash view of a landfill from the inside that I thing you will find eductational.

Link to flash animation of how a landfill works.

Think Local First

“Buy Local” is a phrase that has been around a long time. The notion of “Buy Local” is bandied about by many people for many reasons. But what does it mean for us in Douglas County?

It means supporting the local farmers and business people with your patronage. But more than that, it means providing more stable jobs. When big name employers like Dell come into a community, there is not any ownership or sense of community to keep them here for long. Small businesses tend to stay around, so their employees enjoy longer tenures and better wages.

Unlike the folks at Dell who had attorneys, suppliers, accountants all elsewhere and shipped their money out of Douglas County, small business owners reinvest their income into our local community by spending their dollars here. That means the dollars created here stay here and flow through the community. Thus building a stronger local economy.

But what does this have to do with recycling? Simple, local business create less waste and far less pollution because of lighter transportation needs. This helps keep our air and water cleaner and less material is bound for the landfill..

We cannot always “Buy Local” but we can always “Think Local First!”

Article seen as published in the North County News as part of a regular "Recycling Tip of Week" column

Bagging the plastic bag

After I wrote down my thoughts yesterday on paper or plastic, I was at home with the family and CBS News did a story on just that. If you are interested in more go to:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3741040n

Paper or Plastic?

Paper or plastic? That is the all important question when checking out of a grocery store. The answer may be found in the practices stores themselves are employing. We are seeing less and less paper bags offered on a regular basis at grocery stores and other retail outlets. This is for several reasons. First, plastic bags cost far less per item than paper and you can store many more thousands on site than the paper alternative. Second, there is a distinct energy savings with plastic over paper.

I say this with one caveat. In order to realize the energy savings over the life cycle of the bag, you must recycle the plastic.

Each bag must have natural resources harvested, shipped to market, produced, delivered to the store, and finally recycled by you. Each step requires energy to be utilized in the process. Energy is of course created primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, so at any step of the cycle, pollution is produced. Therefore, any decision you make can increase or decrease the amount of pollution created.

Back to the question; Paper or plastic? Unless I need a paper bag for reuse at home, I always choose plastic and always recycle the bag by bringing it back to the place of purchase or to any one of our County transfer stations for recycling.

The best practice is to not use either! Instead, bring with you to the store, canvas reusable bags that can be used time and time again. By employing this one little step, you can reduce the number of bags used annually by your household by hundreds; thereby increasing energy savings, reducing pollution, and preventing litter.

Article seen as published in the North County News as part of a regular "Recycling Tip of Week" column