How Many Times Have You Thrown Away A Plastic Cup Or Crumpled A Used Piece Of Paper? Adopting An Effective Method Of Recycling Will Help You Realise That Some Of The Most Useful Things Often End Up In Your Trash…

Flip over printed sheets of paper and use it again, wash that plastic cup you just drank from, and keep it aside. Cut open that single-use plastic bottle and turn it into a mini pot for a plant in your balcony or a holder for utensils in the kitchen. You’d rather keep them in your house than have then turn up in the oceans or in landfills. Through systematic recycling, you can make a massive difference to the environment.

The predicament

Often times, we neglect things that have been used and consign them to a place in the bin. This, then, begins a process that causes severe damage to the environment. Plastic bottles, polythene bags and cups are the most commonly found waste material in the oceans. Not only does this pollute the water, it causes vast problems to the marine and aquatic ecosystem.

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales, and other marine mammals, and more than one million seabirds die each year from ocean pollution and ingestion or entanglement in marine debris. Do you really want blood in your hands?

From trash to treasure

Through a systematic method of recycling, you can ensure that as much waste that can be converted into useful material, stays within your house. A plastic bag that is not disposed of does not cause harm to the environment at all. It is the same with plastic bottles, cups and more. After severe use, you can turn them into reusable household items.

A very simple yet effective process of disposing plastic and other recyclable material involves picking a day to go through all the waste. Instead of disposing waste by the day, once it is segregated, you can decide what can be used and what needs to be thrown away, at a time of your convenience.

How you can help

You can also be environmentally conscious in your workspaces by using only recycled paper, and then recycling it again by using it on both sides, and then once again by sending it for further recycling. This process, if followed in a large scale, will do a world of good for the environment around you.

Even your printers at work can play their part in helping the environment. When purchasing cartridges or toners, look for the recycled symbol or the remanufactured symbol. Very often, we are at fault for throwing away cartridges that can be recycled, only because getting a new one is easier. However, not only is it cheaper to refill a used cartridge, it also helps the environment in a BIG way.

.@SureshWangjam, a.k.a. El Torito, graces the cover of tonight's BLUEPRINT, as we aim to raise awareness about the need for recycling and systematic management of perishable resources. Read on: https://t.co/kNcS2JrcNJ #ForThePlanet #BFCATK #WeAreBFC pic.twitter.com/4W6gyozB03

— Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) February 22, 2020

Most portable electrical appliances run on the use of batteries. On an average, a household uses anywhere between 15 and 20 batteries a year. If recycled, that’s 15-20 batteries in a lifetime. Recyclable batteries is a one-time investment that can save you money and also make sure that your use of electrical appliance does not discharge harmful batteries that may cause problems to the environment.

Often times, we’re unaware of causing damage to the environment. Choosing an ice-cream cone over a cup is the zero-waste option, especially when the cup comes with a plastic spoon! It might be a little messier to eat, but it’s less messy for our planet. A conscious effort to change into a bio degradable lifestyle with your choice of using straws, cotton buds, toothbrushes, can also play a big part in environmental health.

The numbers

– It is estimated that 70% of loggerhead turtles that die each year, do so from consuming plastic.

– A massive 52% of all the turtles in the ocean have plastic particles in them. That’s over half their population.

– Over 95% of plastic is discarded after a single use. Avoid this by investing in reusable coffee cups, water bottles, bags and food containers.

– Every 60 seconds we are the cause of trash that is equivalent of one garbage truck straight into the ocean.

– For every one kilogram of plankton in the ocean, there are six kilograms of plastic. At the current rate, there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050.

It’s time to mend our ways.