Additional Information:
Where Do I Discard...?
Find locations near you to recycle items.
Reuse
Reuse means to use an item more than once. Conventional reuse is using an item again for the same function as its original use. New life reuse involves using an item for a function in a different capacity from its original function.
Why Reuse:
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that in 2008, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash. This equates to approximately 4.5 pounds of waste generated per person per day!
- It is estimated that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year.
- Production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both non-renewable resources.
- Toxic chemical ingredients are used to make plastics, which produces pollution during the process.
- The annual cost to U.S retailers is estimated at $4 billion, a cost that is passed on to the consumer.
- Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill.
