In 2008, the average Orange
County resident generated five pounds of waste per
day. With more than three million residents
countywide, that number adds up to approximately 15
million pounds of solid waste per day.
OC Waste & Recycling (OCW&R) has launched a new,
interactive campaign – Waste Free OC. Save Room
for Tomorrow – to help community members reduce
everyday waste from entering local landfills. The
campaign’s call to action is realistic and
attainable: Reduce waste by ten percent in 2010.
"The time is now for us to take action and
realize that if we don’t urge people to make
behavioral changes; our landfills will be filled to
capacity,” said Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Chair of
the Board of Supervisors. “We cannot afford not to
take action.”
Everyone has habits. And the simple ones like
drinking coffee out of paper cups can be the source
of up to 10% of what we throw away. But you don’t
have to give up the things you love. There are a lot
of ways to lighten up on our landfills.
5 Easy Ways to Start Reducing
Waste Today
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1. Pay bills electronically and put a
stop to junk mail. |
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2. Bring reusable bags with you to the
grocery store. |
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3. Start composting. |
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4. Reduce packaging waste by buying in
bulk. |
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5. Avoid contaminating recyclables to be
sure they stay out of the landfill.
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“The 10% in 2010 Challenge means
producing less waste to begin with, reusing items as
many times as possible and recycling even more,”
said OC Waste & Recycling Director, Mike Giancola.
“In doing so, we can reduce 1.5 million pounds of
waste from going into our landfills in a single
day.” Residents can take the 10% in 2010 Challenge
at
www.WasteFreeOC.com.
Updated: March 9, 2010
