Many cities are consciously making an effort to reduce waste and recycle various articles in an attempt to make our planet a better place. SugarLand is one such city that has worked sincerely to reduce its solid waste and promote recycling programs. For their tremendous effort, the city received two prestigious awards – the Texas Solid Waste Association of North America Recycling ‘Excellence Award’ and the Keep Texas Beautiful ‘Government Award’.
Details of the event
In 2011, SugarLand managed to divert 32 percent of its waste from landfills to productive avenues. In 2012, the residents of SugarLand recycled over 12655 tons of material which included 6844 tons of green waste and 5811 tons of recycled material. This took the diversion rate up to 34 percent. The Assistant Director of Public Works – Dawn Steph stated that the city officials were proud of the efforts of the residents, and hope that the recycling rate would further increase to 40 percent this year.
Prior to the launch of this program, residents recycled approximately 34 pounds of waste per home, every month. In 2012, SugarLand’s curbside recycling program was tailored to include jars and glass bottles of all colors. In addition, all garden waste such as leaves, grass clippings, brush, and small branches were added to the green waste program where they would be sent for recycling rather than being dumped in landfills. After the introduction of the new program, the residents recycled approximately 83 pounds per household, each month.
The city authorities have made provisions for a weekly automated recycling collection system which comprises a 65 gallon recycling cart. Green waste is also collected once a week. It is not compulsory for residents to pack garden waste in compostable bags. The use of reusable containers or tied bags is sufficient for the said purpose.
Reusable grocery bags bulk to save environment
Many environment conscious stores have discontinued the use of plastic bags as well as disposable bags and are encouraging customers to use reusable grocery bags. Reusable bags are eco-friendly and convenient to use. They help in keeping the production of plastic bags in check and also help to keep disposable bags out of landfills. In addition, since they can be used over and over again, reusable bags help to cut out the recurrent expenditure on new bags. The purchase of reusable grocery bags bulk further helps to decrease the cost per bag and store owners can pass on this benefit to the customers, giving them one more reason to switch to reusable bags.
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