I learned a sad fact last Earth Day, which was, that only 30% of Utahns recycle their unwanted waste. This number has haunted me terribly, considering there are 2,736,424 Utahns living in Utah, all consuming, using, and disposing of waste each day!(July 2009 census)
Utah is one of the most`beautiful, most natural, States in the U.S., yet there are people taking advantage of this beauty, and not thinking of the effects their trash has on the world. It doesn't seem right. It seems like you should need a special permit saying, "I RECYCLE," in order to go skiing in the mountains, hiking in the forests, or boating on the lakes. I cringe when I go upstairs to throw out my garbage, only to find my neighbors have filled the trash can with plastic bottles and cardboard boxes. I wish that they knew how simple and effective it would be to just recycle.
To make recycling even easier, a big recycling plant, called Pure Recycling, just re-opened here in Cedar City! They had a grand opening party, with free food and music. But the greatest part was touring the recycle plant. Just seeing the great, big machines, and piles of bottles and cans, made my heart happy!
Inside the recycle plant here in Cedar City.
Some more bottles to recycle!
Dancing and grooving to some live music.
Micah gave Z a tour of the plant. Recycling is something that we will teach our children, is a normal part of life.
Recycling is much like getting the chance to birth something new and beautiful in the world. It's definitely something to get excited about. This pile of junk really struck me as we were walking out. All this stuff is going to be sorted and turned into something new. Now imagine this junk in our landfills instead; seeping into our rivers and oceans, polluting our soils, and turning this beautiful world into a giant junk pile itself. That's not what I want, do you?
