5 pledges to make this Earth Day

April 22, Earth Day, marks the anniversary of the environmental movement of 1970. That year gave a united voice to the emerging issues of the environment and provoked recognition for concerns of climate change - Here's 5 pledges you could make this Earth Day to help contribute to this important movement.

1. Start composting

Food waste is becoming an increasingly important issue, with the US sending more than 52 million tons of food to landfill each year. Not only does this equate to the emission of approximately 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases a year but it causes other negative effects to our planet. Take the opportunity to turn your organic waste into nutrient-rich soil by composting your food scraps, green waste and non-hazardous wood waste.

We have a range of food waste recycling containers to help you fulfill this pledge.

2. Recycle your e-waste

The global e-waste recycling market is a growing and is estimated to be worth over $5 billion by 2020. With this in mind, the rate of electronics disposal will continue to increase which means we need to ensure our old devices are discarded responsibly. Dig out your unwanted cell phones, mp3 players, printers, toners and laptops and recycle them today.

We can get you started with one of our e-waste recycling containers.

3. Donate your unwanted clothing & shoes

One man’s trash in another man’s treasure so why not give your wardrobe a re-fresh for the upcoming Spring and Summer months and dig out your unwanted clothing and shoes? You can easily donate these items to charities in your local area who will distribute them to those in need.

4. Walk or bike to work

Reduce your carbon footprint by, where possible, opting to walk or cycle to work or school once a week. This carbon-free transport will help to reduce your environmental footprint and ensure that the only thing you’re burning is calories! Although it may seem like a drop in the ocean, if everyone makes this small change it can make a great difference to our planet in the long-run.

5. Go paper-less

The elimination of paper in your life may not be completely feasible, but even a small reduction will make a difference to both you and the environment. Many organizations offer the option to receive bills, paperwork, contracts and other information electronically through e-mails and online platforms. By opting to go paper-less you could help save energy and conserve natural resources as well as increasing the security of your documents and generate cost savings. Understandably, going paper-less may not be an option for you, but you can ensure you recycle as much of your paper waste as you can - we have a range of paper recycling containers and confidential paper recycling containers to help you out.

To learn more about Earth Day 2016, visit http://www.earthday.org/