Recycled Art: Using Garbage

We all make garbage every day, and it is essential for the health of our Earth to make wise choices in the garbage we make.  Here are some facts about garbage:

- The average person makes 4 pounds of trash a day.  Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, enough to fill Busch Stadium from top to bottom twice a day.

- Most communities spend more on waste management than they are for schoolbooks, fire protection, libraries and parks.

- The United States uses 18 billion diapers a year or 570 per second!

- Americans throw out enough disposable cups, forks, spoons and knives every year to wrap around the equator 300 times!

Check out this true story about the Garbage Barge that was stuck at sea!

The art in this book was created by Red Nose Studios and uses garbage!

Take a video field trip to a landfill:

Make your own landfill in a bottle: (Source: https://www.shareitscience.com/2017/03/storybook-science-garbage-barge-landfill-model.html)

The artist Charlotte uses items destined for the landfill to create sustainable art:

Here are some great tips on how to use your art supplies in a way that is better for the environment:

Some ways we can work together to reduce our garbage:

- Use a refillable bottle or cup for beverages on the go.

- Purchase products that come with less packaging and recycle.

- Avoid single use food and drink containers and utensils.

- Buy secondhand items and donate used goods: before you go buy something new, consider buying it used which can also save you money.

- Shop at local farmers markets: there is not as much cost to transport the food, and they use less packaging.