recycling of just one plastic water bottle can preserve enough energy to light a 60watt bulb for about six hours. it&rsquos these apparently unimportant actions that can really have a big impact on the environment. earth day is observed each year on april 22nd. this day is designed in order to raise appreciation and awareness for our planet. this year marks earth day 43rd anniversary. if everyone takes a hard, long look around our communities, houses, offices, or schools, there&rsquos possibly a good chance we would all get some ways to contribute to make this earth little &ldquogreener&rdquo this earth day. one of those ways may be as simple as recycling or replacing something that is lying on your desk, in your child&rsquos backpack or in your refrigerator. it is that plastic made water bottle you have been sipping out of all afternoon. earth911 is an environmental services company that provides solutions for products&rsquo endoflife for both consumers and businesses. according to it, every year, americans buy about 29.8 billion plastic water bottles. the shocking fact is, out of those around 30 billion bottles, almost eight out of 10 ends up just being thrown away. as only 20 percent of plastic water bottles go into recycling, this is equals to a whole lot of waste in america&rsquos landfills. niki ensor is the waste and wastewater facilities manager of the city of kingsport. niki says that this is an avoidable waste and that people should get rid of the bottled water habit for the sake of the planet. ensor further mentioned that bottled water can cost anywhere from 5 to 10 a gallon, depends on whether you go with a local brand or a more expensive one. however, tap water is usually less than 1 a gallon. ensor points out that bottled water is merely convenient, and it has no better properties than tap water. tap water is very economical and strictly regulated. it&rsquos extremely safe for drinking, and it&rsquos really the better option than the bottled water. ronnie hammonds, who is a streets and sanitation manager at kingsport&rsquos public works department, agrees to this point and says a better option is to buy reusable bottles and fill them up with tap water or keep a cooled pitcher of tap water in the refrigerator for easy access. hammonds said that they are very fortunate here in northeast tennessee as they have very good sources of tap water, and he feels extremely comfortable drinking tap water. however, ensor also said that she realizes tap water is not for everyone. she further explained that some people have very distinctive taste buds, and they do not like the way tap water smells or tastes. even if, she doesn&rsquot really suggest home filtration systems, she does mention if for nothing other than aesthetic reasons, at times filtering tap water will make it more likable. home filtration systems do need regular upkeep though, ensor mentioned. ensor said that, if you fail to follow the manufacturer&rsquos advises for maintenance and do not regularly change filters, the quality of your water can decrease, and you possibly get sick. due to the stringent testing all town, city and municipality water departments are needed to do, worries about the chance of contaminants in normal tap water should not be an issue, ensor says. she further said that, in a year, water is tested over 181 times and they monitor it 247. they also have two operators for each shift that has to be taken tests and state certified. she wouldn&rsquot worry about contaminants in the tap water. they are regulated to the &lsquonth&rsquo degree by the environmental protection agency commonly known as epa whereas, bottled water is not. on the other hand, due to the ease of access, many people will continue drinking tap water on occasion from plastic water bottles. however, when those bottles are unfilled, never has there been a simpler time to recycle them. hammonds said that, in kingsport, recycling facilities are easily available for people. they have a curbside recycling program in which they pick up plastics. they provide 18gallon blue bin containers for people to put their stuff in and then it&rsquos being collected once in a week. many other regions and towns in the area, including scott county and sullivan county, va., also give recycling convenience centers where, along with the plastics, other materials like aluminum, cardboard, and newspapers can be taken for recycling. on this 43rd anniversary of earth day, earth911 gives the following tips on plastic water bottles recycling &bull check with your regional department of waste management to find out what plastics are recycled, e.g. containers, bottles or other plastics. if your local recycling program also takes plastics based on resin numbers, verify the code. each plastic bottle indicates a recycling code numbered from 1 through 7, which gives you information regarding the type of plastic and whether or not you can recycle it. approximately all recycling programs accept plastic bottles made up of high density polyethylene hdpe or polyethylene terephthalate pete or pet. these are plastics no. 1 and 2. &bull organize recyclables by removing caps and pumps and discard if it is instructed by your community program. &bull wash your bottles, but you don&rsquot require removing the labels. &bull crush containers or bottles by stepping on them hence they consume less space in the bin. &bull bring back to home and recycle beverage bottles if you pick to buy a plastic bottle and find yourself at a location that does not recycle. &bull merge up trips to the dropoff center and find one as near to you as possible to reduce fuel use. &bull buy recycled things. you can support recycling by looking for products that are labeled with &ldquomade with recycled content.&rdquo those products, which are labeled as &ldquomade with postconsumer recycled content&rdquo, have been made with supplies that have been used, and not with the virgin materials. source of information httpwww.timesnews.netarticle.phpid9022304
