R
Kick the K-Cups While these single-use coffee pods are convenient, only 5 percent of Keurig’s Green Mountain pods are recyclable. Upwards of 9 billion K-Cups are used in a single year—enough to wrap around the equator more than 10 times—and they go straight to the landfill. That’s not even including knock-off brands. Keurig promises to make all of its beverage pods recyclable by 2020, but in the meantime for a more environmentally-conscious option, try reusable filters, or alternative brands such as organic, fair trade Canterbury Coffee, which uses 90 percent biodegradable pods. Or better yet, brew with a French press, which requires no paper products at all, and produces a better quality cup of coffee. —Krista Connor, Associate Editor
Think outside the bottle Each year, more than 4 billion pounds of PET plastic bottles end up in landfills or as roadside litter. Less than 20 percent of those bottles are recycled. What’s more, up to 40 percent of bottled water comes from already treated municipal water systems, paid for at taxpayer expense. Water bottlers then sell this water back to the public at thousands of times the price, virtually unchanged. And in Tap Water Challenges across the country, people can’t tell a difference between bottled and tap water. —Bob Yearick, Contributing Editor
Reuse ink cartridges Ink cartridges, according to EarthShare, can sit in a landfill for 450-1,000 years. Rather than throwing away your 97-percent-recyclable cartridges, take them to your local Staples, where they will be sent to be remanufactured. Plus, if you buy recycled ink cartridges, they cost 80 percent less than new ones and can be refilled up to 15 times. —Allison Hageman, Intern
Get a dual flush toilet Have you ever seen a toilet with one of those funky buttons instead of a lever? It’s called a dual flush toilet and it could save you from wasting tons of water. In the ‘70s, Australian designers developed a flushing system that operates with two distinct volumes of liquid, used for flushing liquids and solids, respectively. The initial installation may cost more than the standard toilet, but think about its cumulative effect on your water bill. Used properly and consistently, it would reduce your toilet water usage by 30 percent or more.
Check your tires
—Ryan Alexander, Contributing Designer
In addition to ensuring a safer, smoother ride, properly inflated tires can save you money at the gas pump (anywhere from $200 to $400 a year) while reducing the amount of greenhouse gases your car emits by as much as 1.4 tons annually. Based on Department of Transportation figures, if all drivers checked their tires regularly, it could result in an annual reduction of nearly 300 million tons of greenhouse gases in the U.S. alone. That’s a considerable amount of CO2 that we certainly could do without. —Jim Miller, Director of Publications
Check out the Delaware Recycling Center We recently decided to sell our house, which required a major cleanup of our basement. We had tons of old paint, dead batteries, and broken electronics that we didn't know what to do with. A little research got us to the Delaware Recycling Center. Each Wednesday, electronic goods and household hazardous waste are collected from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Household hazardous waste can include items such as cleaners, garden pesticides, oil-based paint, nail polish, fluorescent bulbs and antifreeze – all things that should never be dumped down the drain or thrown in the trash. The drop-off process was super quick and easy. You don't even have to get out of your car. —Marie Graham, Director of Digital Media FEBRUARY 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM
02_Focus.indd 11
25
1/22/16 12:26 PM