In recent city news, the city of Surprise has revealed that they will temporarily be suspending their recycling program due to an increase in cost. Until a solution is found, residents are asked to continue putting their recycling into the blue trash bins, but they will be taken to the landfill. If this upsets you like it does us, you are probably among the many residents thinking about what you can do to help reduce your (now) non-recyclable items. Here are 2 major plumbing related changes that can make a difference.
The first thing you can do is reduce the amount of plastic water bottles being used by filtering your own water at home. I’m going to say that again: Reduce the amount of plastic water bottles being used. 80 percent of the plastic water bottles we buy end up in landfills. You can make a difference by installing a reverse osmosis system (or RO system) and filtering your own water. An RO system has many benefits–including that of helping the environment.
What is an RO system?
Reverse osmosis systems are filtration systems which eliminate any water-borne particle that is smaller than a water molecule. In essence, these systems make your water free from lead, arsenic, and a variety of other unneeded (and often unhealthy) minerals. Ridding your water of these minerals is beneficial in a number of ways. Here are some facts about reverse osmosis:
- Removes Lead
- Eliminates Sodium
- Lowered Energy Cost
- Takes up very little space
- Easy to Maintain
- Produces Better Tasting Water
- REPLACES BOTTLED WATER
One thing you need to consider when installing an RO system is that if it filters all of the bad stuff out, it filters the good stuff out too and you’ll need to replace it by adding a drop of electrolyte/mineral liquids into your drinking water. Our customers find that this is a small price to pay to ensure that your drinking water is the cleanest it could possibly be while reducing the amount of plastics being used.
So now Surprise residents are asked to put their no-longer recyclable items into the recycle bin only to be taken to the landfill. Won’t it fill up rather quickly? YES! What will you do? This brings us to our 2nd change that you can make to your plumbing if you aren’t already doing it.
Did you know that garbage disposals are an environmentally responsible option for keeping food waste out of landfills? Garbage disposals grind tough food scraps into a slurry that flows through plumbing to wastewater treatment facilities equipped to handle the liquid and fine particles. At capable facilities, food waste can be recycled as renewable energy and fertilizer. We think that’s pretty awesome.
One thing you can do is make sure your garbage disposal is in proper working order and actually use it. If you aren’t sure what you should be putting into your garbage disposal, visit our website for more information.
