NATURALLY FUN
The "3 R's"
by Karen Dusek

Editor's Note: Introduce children to nature and the result is 'Naturally Fun'! Let us know what you think of our new column just for children, debuting through the summer months. The young person in your life may develop a 'green' thumb with your guiding hand.

Did you know that Americans produce more trash than anyone else in the world? On average, each of the almost 300 million people in the United States generates about 4.5 pounds of waste every day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That's a total of about 675,000 tons of trash made by Americans each and every day (one ton equals 2,000 pounds). Imagine 94,425 elephants and you've got a pretty good idea of the amount of junk Americans get rid of every day. (A large male elephant weighs about seven tons or 14,000 pounds.)

The good news is that Americans also lead the world in the amount of waste they recycle. Almost ¼ of our trash - mostly newspapers - is made into new products. But that still leaves more than 500,000 tons that is buried in landfills or burned every day.

Most of what we throw away is paper. Even though paper is organic (made from a living thing) and biodegradable (able to be eaten and broken down by living things such as bacteria and earthworms), it does not biodegrade quickly in a landfill because the trash is tightly packed to take up less space and there is not enough air for decomposers (plants and animals that eat dead things) to survive and do their job. William Rathje, head of the Garbage Project, studies trash in landfills. He has found newspapers printed 40 years ago that are still in one piece and can still be read.

Landfills produce methane gas, which is one of the greenhouse gases that are causing global warming. Some parts of the country where there are large numbers of people are also running out of room to build new landfills and have to ship their trash further and further. This is not only expensive, but also leads to more air pollution from the gas burned by the trash trucks. Greenhouse gases are also given off when trash is burned.

There are three ways that you can help reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. They are known as the "3 R's" of waste management - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Elsewhere on this page are some ideas for "3 R" projects you can do, as well as instructions for recycling junk mail and other paper into new paper that you can use for art projects and crafts.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - The "3 R's" of Waste Management

Reduce - Reducing the amount of trash that you produce is the most important of the "3 R's." What you can do:

1. Buy used toys, books and clothes at thrift stores and garage sales.
2. Check out books, videos, DVDs and CDs at the library instead of buying them.
3. Think before you buy something new. Is it something you really need? How long will it last before it breaks, or you outgrow it or it goes out of style? If it breaks, can it be recycled? Is it wrapped in a huge box with a lot of plastic and styrofoam that can't be recycled?
4. Use cloth napkins instead of paper, sponges instead of paper towels.
5. Write on both sides of paper. Use paper that is printed on only one side for drawing and writing first drafts.

Reuse - If you have something that you have outgrown, that is broken, or that is no longer needed (things like egg cartons, toilet tissue rolls, oatmeal boxes, etc.), see if you can think of a way to reuse them, instead of throwing them away. Here are some suggestions:

1. Give toys, clothes and books that you have outgrown to thrift stores, friends or other kids in your family or have a garage sale. Some organizations take old bikes that they fix up for needy children.
2. Organize a book and toy exchange with other kids. For every book or toy they bring, they get to choose another one.
3. If you can, repair broken items instead of throwing them away and buying something new.
4. Make crafts from throwaways with your friends. With a little paint or some fabric and yarn scraps and glue, you can turn toilet tissue and paper towel tubes into napkin rings, round oatmeal boxes into doll cradles, paper bags into wrapping paper, juice cans into pencil holders, and milk cartons into flower pots. Use your imagination. Get your friends involved and hold a craft sale.
5. Make a quilt from old clothes.
6. Start a compost pile.

Recycle - If you cannot think of a way to reuse something, you may be able to recycle it. Recycling means turning one product into another one. Aluminum cans, for example, are often made into new cans. Plastics are used to make everything from park benches to clothing. What can you do?

1. Find out what materials your community recycles. Ask your parents to buy some bins and tell them you will be in charge of sorting recyclables from the trash. Then do it!
2. When you go back to school, ask your teacher if you can start a recycling program in your classroom. Challenge other classes to see which one can recycle the most.
3. Make recycled paper (see instructions this page) and teach your friends.
4. Buy products made from recycled materials.
5. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper encouraging others to recycle and to buy recycled products.

Recycled Paper

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Used paper (junk mail and letter paper works best)
• Blender (you may want to buy an old one at a thrift store)
• 2 Plastic tubs
• Old window screen
• Newspaper

WHAT TO DO:

1. Fill one of the tubs half- full with warm water.
2. Tear the paper into small pieces and soak it in the water until it is limp. Use white plus one color for pastels. Mix different colors to make new ones.
3. Fill the blender about half full with water and add a couple of handfuls of the wet paper. Blend on high until the paper turns into pulp (looks mushy).
4. Place the window screen on the second tub and pour the contents of the blender onto the screen. Move the blender as you pour so the mixture spreads out evenly and does not end up in a big blob. (Don't worry, if you goof you can put the pulp back into the blender with the water from the tub and start over.)
5. Place a folded piece of newspaper over the pulp on the screen and gently press to squeeze out as much of the water as you can. If you make holes, you can reblend the pulp and try again.
6. Holding the newspaper over the pulp, pick up the screen with the other hand and flip it over.
7. Carefully lift the screen off the pulp.
8. Set the paper in a dry place to dry. When it is thoroughly dry, you can use it to make bookmarks, ornaments, greeting cards, collages, picture frames and other fun things. Decorate with paint, glitter, dried flowers and ribbons. Glue magnets to the back of small frames or shapes for refrigerator magnets.
9. Variations: * Add dried flowers to the pulp before you pour it. *Pour one color over another to make cool designs. *Spread the pulp over an overturned bowl, jello mold or other object to make three-dimensional shapes. (This takes some practice.)