Your soda cans are crushed, your water bottles are reusable, and your bank statements are paperless. You\u2019ve even found dozens of creative ways to reuse empty essential oil bottles<\/a>. You deserve the highest of fives for zeroing in on ways to help us achieve our 5\u00d75 Pledge<\/a> goal of zero waste in five years!<\/p>\n As stewards of the earth, it\u2019s our duty to responsibly and sustainably manage our impact. The three Rs\u2014reduce, reuse, recycle\u2014continue to be a hot topic, but how much do you really know about this trio? Here are a few facts that might surprise you.<\/p>\n<\/div> Throwing plastic water bottles in the recycling bin feels way better than tossing them in the garbage can, but there\u2019s so much more we should do. As the world\u2019s population grows, waste grows with it. The average person living in western Europe or North America consumes 220 pounds of plastic every year.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s put that into perspective with a little math:<\/p>\n Want to drink real<\/em> smart water? Use a reusable water bottle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Plastic is a real problem, but recycling goes beyond bottles and BPA-free containers. Recycling conserves water and energy when compared to manufacturing new materials\u2014as much as a 95 percent reduction of water<\/a> use for some materials! Recycling also preserves resources and reduces landfills, protecting our current communities as well as future generations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>Why is recycling important anyway?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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