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(Science Trek music)

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JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST:

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There're lots of different kinds

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of garbage,

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But you can sort them into two

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types: Organic and inorganic.

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Organic garbage is made of the

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plants, food waste, and animal

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waste.

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Organic trash will decay and can

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become soil.

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Inorganic trash are items that

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do not decay into soil.

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Items made with chemicals or

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minerals..things like plastic,

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glass, and aluminum.

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How long do inorganic things

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last in the landfill?

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Glass can last a million years.

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Plastic bottles 450 years

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Aluminum cans 80 to 200 years

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And all these things are

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recyclable.

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That is, they can be reprocessed

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into something new.

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How much does recycling save?

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In terms of energy savings,

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recycing plastic conserves about

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66 percent over making new.

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Recycling aluminum cans saves

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even more at 96 percent.

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But recycling saves more than

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just energy.

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It means we don't have to use as

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many raw resources.

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And we put less into our

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landfills.

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And that's good for everybody.

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For more information about

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garbage check out the Science

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Trek website. You'll find it

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sciencetrek.org