Sustainable Suggestions
Recycling Best Practices
Paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic bottles and jugs are all recyclable as long as they are free of food and liquid. One dirty item can contaminate an entire truckload.
Prior to disposing of your recyclables, all containers must be washed and have their labels removed. Another tip before you dispose of your recyclables is to never put them in plastic bags or anything other than your regular recycling bin. Plastic bags and plastic wrap get jammed in recycling processing equipment.
When recycling make sure to keep these three rules in mind:
1. Recycle clean bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.
2. Keep food and liquid out of your recycling.
3. Avoid using bags to hold recyclables.
The Environmental Advisory Council recently hosted a recycling seminar presented by Waste Management to educate residents on proper recycling practices. The full video of the seminar is available on our YouTube channel
here and the PowerPoint from the seminar is available
here.
Energy Efficiency for Your Home
Energy efficiency means you are using less energy to do the same jobs, reducing your home's energy waste and saving money. To effectively increase your energy efficiency involves more than just using less energy - it requires you becoming aware of how energy is used, where it's wasted, and how it can be used more effectively and efficiently in everyday life.
There are many ways to make your home energy efficicent including switching your bulbs to LEDs, turn off unneeded lights, lower the thermostat a few degrees, and switch to energy efficient appliances. PECO offers programs to assist with the transition to a more energy efficient lifestyle including appliance recycling, energy assessments, home rebates, and
an online marketplace.
Click here to learn more about PECO's energy efficiency programs.
Determine Your Impact
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has online calculators to measure the environmental impact of the energy you use.
The Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator translate abstract energy and emissions numbers into concrete terms to better understand the real impact.