Getting Paid to Recycle Plastic Bottles Instead of Throwing Them in Landfills

Water. It's the ultimate in going green for our bodies. Bottled water is the fastest growing beverage in the America. We've been told to drink more water; it's healthy. So we've stepped up. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, bottled water consumption has more than doubled over the last ten years, from 10.5 gallons in 1993 to 22.6 in 2003. But this newly acquired habit is not so healthy for Mother Earth.

And think about why. Bottled water is portable. You drink it at work, at the park, at the mall, in your car, on your walks, at the gym...the list goes on and on. The problem with all this drinking is there usually aren't recycling receptacles available at these places.

It's estimated that only about 12%-16% of plastic water bottles are recycled-which is less than other bottled drinks such as soda or beer. Wow...it's staggering to think that up to 88% of all the millions of water bottles sold end up as litter or stuffed into our landfills.

But the good news is there is something YOU can do about it. The Container Recycling Institute is hoping that a nationwide bottle deposit law would create the desire to recycle. There are currently eleven states that already have such a bill in place. And the Institute claims that States like Michigan that do have a bottle deposit law see a whopping 95% recycling rate!

The best part of such a bill is it gives individuals and organizations the chance to raise funds for whatever they may need. Collecting bottles from neighbors, picking up litter and putting recycling receptacles in local businesses to then turn in the bottles for cash (usually about $.05 per bottle) is a wonderful way to get paid, save energy as well as help keep the Earth healthy.

Okay, now back to what you can do. In 2007, Massachusetts Representative, Edward Markey, introduced the Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2007 into the U.S. House of Representatives. If the bill passes, it will mean a $.05 deposit on every plastic bottle container sold.

So to make it super simple for you to help, the Container Recycling Institute has set up an online toolkit so you can help to get the word out and get this bill passed. You can become an activist for this worthwhile cause. The toolkit comes with all sorts of goodies like press releases, reports, opposition tactics, letters to the editor and much, much more. Go to toolkit.bottlebill.org to access the toolkit and do your part to help keep Mother Earth healthy.

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