EARTH DAY EVERY DAY!

People all over the planet are realizing pollution is harmful to the environment; this is why Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22.There are many available opp-ortunities to help prevent pollution, but recycling is one thing that everyone can do. FCCJ is in need of adding more recycling bins for products.

According to Cathy Horn, director of administrative services at South Campus, there are 20 recycling bins for plastic.

Horn explained that there are reasons why the campus only recycles plastic. One reason is because people throw trash in the bins and no one wants to be responsible for cleaning it out.

She said that the college does not recycle glass because it can be dangerous and it wants to avoid the risk of people getting cut.

According to Horn, there are recycling bins for paper products in the offices at South Campus.

Horn said that at South Campus, there are three 50 gallon containers that are picked up weekly. She said that the company, Advanced Disposal, charges the college $30 for each container every month.

She further explained that the company also has a surcharge for fuel which is about $30 dollars as well. All together, the college pays around $120 every month for recycling services.

If a person does not recycle, then the discarded item ends up in a landfill. Landfills are dangerous.

According to an article on SixWise.com, there are chemicals found in landfills, which leak toxins into the environment.

The toxins enter the body and make our immune systems less able to fight off infections. SixWise.com is a web site that promotes ways to stay healthy.

Studies have shown that people living near a landfill have a higher risk of becoming sick and hospitalized, according to SixWise.com.

They claim that mothers who live near landfills have a higher risk of having babies with birth defects; also living near a land fill could increase the risk of certain types of cancer.

Recycling keeps non-biodegradable items out of landfills. It takes a very long time for many products to decompose. Some items have been estimated to take forever to decompose.

It can take an aluminum can 200 to 400 years to decompose. It takes paper two to four weeks to decompose.

Plastic is estimated to take 450 years to never to decompose, and glass bottles take forever to decompose as well, according to mothersfightingforothers.com. Mothers Fighting For Others specializes in helping children all over the world to have a loving and nurturing environment. It cited the EPA as its major source for the decomposition time for these items.

These items can all be recycled. They can be cleaned, reshaped and reused instead of sitting in a landfill taking forever to decompose.

It makes sense to recycle and reuse materials. It cost money to have a company come and pick up the recyclable materials, but isn't our environment and health worth it?

If anyone else feels for Mother Nature, then join the fun at South Campus's Earth Day Everyday celebration on April 22 in Student Activities Center above the cafeteria.

There will be locally grown food, and a film festival designed to educate and entertain.