Improving Your Quality of Life

by: Gordon McMahan

Would your neighborhood, civic club, church, school or business like to generate some additional income while saving energy, water and precious landfill space? If so, recycling newspaper, aluminum cans, and paper can be a very worthwhile venture! In particular, the value for aluminum recyclables continues to rise, and you can receive cash for your recyclables at the Recycling Bank of Gwinnett.

Take advantage of the beautiful weather this time of year and make recycling a group project. Recycling as a fundraiser requires no money to get started, just hard work that pays off in the end. Groups can either organize a recycling drive in neighborhoods and at businesses, or do roadside cleanups and gather recyclables and other litter that is an eyesore along our roadways.

Once you have collected your recyclables, make sure they are sorted by type and contain no liquids. For other specifics on what materials are recyclable and how you should prepare the items to receive payment, visit the Gwinnett Clean &
Beautiful website at www.gwinnettcb.org.

The Recycling Bank of Gwinnett is located at 4300 Satellite Boulevard in Duluth. The Bank pays according to weight for aluminum cans, newspaper, white computer paper and office paper during their operating hours: Monday- Thursday 9am-5pm, and Friday-Saturday 9am- 4pm.

In addition to giving positive public exposure to your group, recycling is a great way to show your pride in Gwinnett and express your group’s commitment to our environment and natural resources.

Recycling will pay great dividends to your group and have a huge impact on improving Gwinnett, so get started today!

Aluminum Recycling Facts:

• It takes 90 days for a recycled aluminum can to make it back on the shelf as something useful.
• Recycling aluminum saves energy. Recycling just ONE aluminum can saves enough energy to power your computer for about three hours.
• American consumers and industry throw away enough aluminum in a year to rebuild our entire airplane commercial fleet every three months.
• Using recycled aluminum to make new aluminum takes 95% less water.
  

Paper Recycling Facts:

• Every year Americans use more than 67 million tons of paper or 580 pounds per person.
• Americans throw away enough office and writing paper annually to build a wall 12 feet high stretching from Los Angeles to New York.
• Every day American businesses generate enough paper to circle the Earth 20 times.
• Using recycled newspapers to make new newspapers uses almost 50% less energy.
• Recycling one ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water. That’s enough water for you to take 365 showers!