The average American family of four throws away about  5,000 pounds of trash each year.

About 73 percent of our trash is buried in landfills, 14 percent is burned in incinerators to produce energy, and 13 percent is recycled. Many things, such as aluminum cans and plastics, will be in the landfills for many hundreds of years because it takes them so long to decay.

What can you do to solve this problem? The most important thing is to remember these three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. First, reduce the amount of trash you throw away. Use disposable items sparingly. For example, use only 1 paper towel instead of more if that is all that is needed to do the job. Second, reuse items as many times as possible. For example, you can keep bits of string, ribbon, buttons, etc. for craft projects instead of throwing them away. Third, recycle things such as aluminum cans and buy things made from recycled materials. Recycled objects are collected and reprocessed into new usable items. The symbol for recycle is usually three  green arrows as shown on the trash can. This symbol is a reminder to recycle when possible.

Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22. It is a time that schools, communities, and individuals pull together to improve the environment by cleaning up public places and planting trees and flowers. This day serves to remind us to take care of our planet. But we need to remember the Earth Day motto, which is “Make Every Day Earth Day.”

Fun with Trash

Reuse an empty box, such as a cake box, by making a monster trash chomper. Wrap the box in plain waste paper, such as a brown paper sack or left over wrapping paper. Secure with transparent tape. Wrap a piece of masking tape around the middle of the box. Wrap a second strip of tape around the box, next to the first strip of tape. Ask an adult to use a knife to cut across the box between the strips of masking tape, but stop at one of the narrow sides of the box.

Use crayons and/or markers to draw the face of a monster trash chomper on the box. Scissors can be used to add shape to some the teeth. Holding the top of the box, open and close its bottom to make your chomper chomp. Your monster trash chomper feeds on litter, which is bits of scrap  paper or other trash scattered around your house. Feed the monster by picking up any litter left around your house.

For more ideas about keeping the Earth “green,” see Janice VanCleave’s Ecology for Every Kid.