Recycling Is A Beautiful Thing In California


Growing up I remember collecting recyclables around the house as one of my chores. My little brother and I would collect aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and newspaper for weeks with the anticipation of the visit to the recycling center. I remember loading large trash bags full of recyclables into our family mini-van and the large conveyor belt at the recycling center that would dump the aluminum cans into a huge receptacle. We would take the receipt to the attendant at the little window where we exchanged the receipt for cash. My brother, who is 10 years younger, and I would split our earnings. When he was younger, splitting would mean giving him two one-dollar bills and me two five-dollar bills. He didn't know the difference! But as he got older, he realized my dad and I were short-changing him, literally!

Just recently, one of my co-workers was sharing a story of visiting some relatives in New York. They had had a small family gathering with lots of soda cans and beer bottles being dumped into the trash can along with all the other trash. She then turned to her aunt and asked, "Where is your recycling bin?". Her aunt just giggled and said "Oh, my California girl!" and ignored the 'recycling bin' question. This is when I realized recycling is not common practice in many parts of the United States. U.S. plastic beverage bottle recycling rates are only at about 30%.  Even though a package says it is “100% recycleABLE”, that does not mean it is made with recyclED plastic.  It just means it CAN BE recycled.  In fact, most containers are not made of recycled plastic.

In California recycling is part of daily life. There are recycling bins at the mall, in classrooms, at bus stops, parks, and in most every home. Most home trash pick-up service includes a separate recycling bin for its own pick-up also. I have also used self-serve recycling redemption machines where you feed your aluminum cans into a machine and cash gets dispensed when you're done! Yet, 2.8 Billion plastic bottles still ended up in California landfills.

Thanks to Arrowhead Water and their efforts to increase awareness about the importance of recycling, I'm able to share this message with you today! Recycling is one of the easiest and most beneficial ways we can all help the environment. It’s Arrowhead's goal to continue increasing the use of recycled materials in their bottles, but they need everyone’s help. Currently, there isn't enough recycled plastic available for Arrowhead to make 100% rPET bottles. Recycled plastic is simply a better source of plastic. It’s part of Arrowhead’s ongoing commitment to preserving our natural springs, and ensures that every bit of Arrowhead, both inside and out, is truly Born Better.

It is my goal to continue to create a culture of recycling in my home to allow my kids to have their own recycling stories to their with their own children one day! How do you make recycling a part of your family’s routine?