The teachers at Cider Mill School shared the following story and photo to raise awareness of cutting down on waste for Earth Day.
“April is Earth Month and April 22 is Earth Day.
“Cider Mill teachers saved their single-use cups to illustrate the trash that one person generates by consuming one take-away coffee or tea per day for a year. The resulting image is shocking!
“Let’s multiply 365 cups by just 1% of the population of Wilton: that’s 365 times 184 people, which equals 67,160 items going into our town landfill every year. If 1% of Americans drink one cup per day, that’s 3,280,000 cups! Those cups are probably disposed of in plastic trash bags, and those bags do not break down.
“Take out cups are not the only problem. Single-use items are everywhere and it can seem daunting to try and go Zero Waste. But you can make a difference. Every sustainable choice you make really does count. By choosing to “refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle,” you are literally saving our planet.
“Next time you pick up a single-use item, take a moment to think. Make a switch today and remember, there is no Planet B.”