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Litter Can Lead to Severe Repercussions  As discussed in a previous GreenLiving blog post , littering is an opponent of a green lifestyle.  Litter can harm or injure plants and animals and destroy animal habitats.  But how long does litter last when improperly disposed at the beach or in the local park?   Below are five examples of common pieces litter found outdoors and the amount of time it takes these items to fully decompose: 1) Aluminum cans: Aluminum cans take up to 200 years to fully decompose when left outside.  Cans, and other aluminum products, are often recyclable materials and can be re-purposed and reused.   2) Batteries: Batteries take up to 100 years to decompose if improperly disposed.  Though some batteries cannot be recycled, others can- remember to always do research to learn how to best dispose of batteries . 3) Plastic bags: Plastic Bags, and other plastic products, can take between 10 and 1000 years to fully decompose on land or i...

The Damaging Effects of Waste Last year, our blog presented some facts and figures about waste.  When you discard garbage or recycling improperly, such as littering outside or simply tossing a plastic bottle into a trash can, do you consider what happens to the remains of that product? Waste that is not discarded properly will eventually seep into the environment.  This is the time of year for holiday parties and family gatherings. When cleaning up, it might seem easier to just discard all the trash and not sort out the recyclables or potentially harmful garbage.  However, when committing to a green lifestyle, it is important to take every opportunity you can to promote sustainability. Recycling whenever possible, not just when convenient, and prompting others to do the same can protect natural resources. Consider these figures: Did you know that many items that CAN be recycled make the the top 10 list of items most likely to be thrown in the regular trash or even just di...