Target: US President Joe Biden
Goal: Expand US glass recycling to decrease waste and pollution and restore degraded nature areas.
The state of recycling in the United States is abysmal, and this includes glass recycling. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), glass is only recycled at a rate of 31.3% in the US. This is due in part to the lack of infrastructure to properly recycle glass.
As climate change rages on, reducing and reusing becomes ever more critical. The restoration of degraded wilderness and other lands is equally important. A New Orleans based glass recycling company called “Glass Half Full, NOLA” started Louisiana’s only glass recycling facility and has been repurposing recycled glass into sand for beach restoration projects. This is exactly the inventive thinking the United States as a whole needs to engage in.
In 2018 the US used 12.3 million tons of glass, an astounding amount, with relatively little of it being recycled. At the same time, as the United States weathers the climate crisis, it increasingly needs to restore wilderness and other areas – including beach lands. Expanding glass recycling and utilizing the processed materials fixes numerous problems. Sign below to call on President Biden to do whatever it takes to implement a program similar to New Orleans’ on a national level.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President Biden,
As the climate crisis deepens, the United States – one of the highest carbon emitters and producers of garbage – is falling far short of necessary levels of recycling. According to the EPA, glass is only recycled at a rate of 31.3% in our country. This leaves millions of tons of glass in landfills.
Another serious consequence of climate change is the increasing need for restoration of wilderness and other lands, including beaches. Innovative and effective solutions are needed to address these problems. A New Orleans-based glass recycling project has begun to recycle and repurpose glass into sand for beach restoration projects. This is exactly the inventive thinking the United States as a whole needs to engage in. Please do everything you can to expand US glass recycling and implement programs like that in New Orleans on a national scale.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: ChuckCars
