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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Keep Texas Beautiful @512-478-8813
***Editorial***
Texas Recycles Day is November 15th
We all can breathe a little easier
Over the past few years, just
about everyone has come to appreciate the
value of recycling in conserving natural resources
and reducing the cost of solid waste disposal.
However, most people are not aware of how
recycling impacts air quality. The Texas Natural
Resource Conservation Commission and Keep
Texas Beautiful, co-sponsors of the 9th Annual
Texas Recycles Day, want everyone to know
how easy it is to contribute to cleaner air
in Texas by participating in this year's event
and it's theme, Care for the Air…Recycle.
There's no arguing with the
fact that air quality is of vital importance
to our health, our children's health, our
economy and prosperity, and our way of life.
Today, our urban centers of Houston-Galveston,
Dallas-Fort Worth, and El Paso do not meet
minimum federal air quality standards for
ground-level ozone, and several other areas
including Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi,
and Longview are classified as "near non-attainment"
areas. But the atmosphere recognizes no boundaries,
and air pollution is more than a local problem.
It affects all Texans.
The primary cause of air pollution
is burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas)
to create energy. Therefore, reducing energy
consumption and increasing efficiency is an
important part of the solution. Because recycled
materials have already been extracted and
refined for manufacturing, recycling requires
24 - 95 percent less energy than making products
from virgin resources. This reduction in energy
consumption reduces the amount of air pollutants,
including ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous
oxide, by millions of tons. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency estimates that recycling
saves more than 400 trillion Btus of energy
each year, equivalent to the amount consumed
by 4 million households. This reduces greenhouse
gas emissions by more than 33 million tons,
equivalent to the emissions of 25 million
cars.
When organic wastes, such as
leaves, grass clippings, food waste, and paper
are composted or recycled, we reduce the generation
of methane gas in landfills, second only to
fossil-fuel combustion as a source of greenhouse
gases. Several Texas cities are using or considering
the use of compost as a "bio-filter" to reduce
emissions of noxious gases such as hydrogen
sulfide from their wastewater treatment facilities.
How can we, as individuals,
make a difference? - If each person makes
one or two small changes, those changes collectively
benefit our community, our state, the nation,
and the world. Here's what we can do, not
only on Texas Recycles Day, but every day:
o Take advantage of curbside and drop off
recycling opportunities in your community.
o Start a compost pile using yard trimmings
and food scraps. Use the compost on your lawn,
flower beds, and garden for healthier plants
and more fertile soil.
o Buy food and other products with reusable
or recyclable packaging, or reduced packaging.
o Buy products made of recycled content.
o Carpool, vanpool or take the bus. Leaving
your car at home just two days a week will
reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590
pounds per week.
o Postpone filling your gas tank until late
afternoon or evening, thereby reducing the
time ozone-forming pollutants can "cook" in
hot weather.
o Lower the temperature on your home water
heater to 120 degrees.
o When a light bulb burns out, replace it
with a compact fluorescent bulb. o Look for
the EPA's Energy Star â label when purchasing
household appliances or office equipment.
This includes refrigerators, washing machines,
fax machines, computers, VCRs, heating and
cooling equipment, and copiers.
Go to the Texas Recycles Day
website: www.TexasRecyclesDay.org
to see what events are taking place around
the state, request educational and promotional
materials to support local events, register
new events on-line, and learn about the importance
of recycling in improving air quality. For
additional information, please contact Keep
Texas Beautiful at 1-800-CLEAN-TX or the Texas
Natural Resource Conservation Commission at
1-512-239-3142.
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