The saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’, may be conducive to getting over an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, but when it comes to discarding old materials goods – it can be a very harmful outlook.  These facts can become so chilling; you would have thought this was our Halloween blog! The truth is, we simply want provoke accountability.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American discards 1,600 pounds (or 726 kg) of trash per year.  The sum of a year’s worth of garbage, in the US alone, could cover the state of Texas two and a half times. (http://www.wisegeek.com/how-much-garbage-does-a-person-create-in-one-year.htm)

The past century has encouraged a material revolution.  Societal trends delude with a fallacy that our worth is dictated by the amount of material possessions that we accumulate.  Moreover, the life cycle of fashion and technology grow shorter and shorter, forcing habitual purchasing to combat material obsolescence.

Population and material spending are at an all-time high, yet accountability does not parallel these trends.  We overflow our garbage with unnecessary waste and goods we deem “useless” – but what happens when it is hauled off? 

Decomposition time periods:
Banana peel	2-10 days
Newspaper	2-4 weeks
Cardboard	2-3 months
Milk carton	5+ years
Cigarette butt	3-12 years
Plastic bag	10-20 years
Batteries	100+ years
Aluminum can	80-200 years
Plastic jug/bottle	500+ years
Styrofoam	5,000 years
Glass container	1,000,000 years
Sources: http://www.greenecoservices.com/how-long-does-it-take-for-trash-to-biodegrade/ http://1st-ecofriendlyplanet.com/11/time-to-decompose-garbage/

Landfills are building up at an alarming rate.  For the time being, these dumping grounds may be off our radar.  However, we will inevitably run out of room and ‘out of sight, out of mind’ will no longer be a viable option. We are exposed to enough trash as it is with every new season of Jersey Shore.  At this rate, landfills are going to replace our parks, consume our oceans and be in our back yards!

If you are taking out three bags of trash per week, challenge yourself to scale it back to one or two. Do your part to reuse whenever possible –  for example: Take cloth bags with you to the grocery store, carry around a water bottle with you, and when getting rid of old clothes, furniture or electronics, donate them to goodwill so that someone else can make use of them.  If you are not sold on the idea of saving the planet, at least you will find you are saving a few bucks.  It all starts with being aware and rising above the mainstream consumer perspicacity.