Have you ever stopped to think how long it takes for things to rot or decompose?
· Aluminium cans – 200 to 500 years
· Glass bottles – 1000 years
· Tin cans – 100 years
· Disposable nappies – 75 years
· Plastic bottles/Styrofoam/polystyrene – NEVER!
That is such a scary thought, especially since all of these things (except disposable nappies) can be recycled.
Did you know that heaps of litter ends up in the sea, and can kill or hurt sea animals and birds? I once heard of a dolphin that ate a tiny piece of plastic, which got stuck in its stomach. The plastic stopped the dolphin from eating – and this is really sad – he died of starvation.
So make sure you and your family recycle all your paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, and cans – and throw everything else into a bin – DON’T EVER LITTER!
The library has heaps of books and web pages on recycling, just ask a librarian to show you where to find them, or check out 363.72 in the junior non-fiction section of the library.