Lesson 3 Small Things Matter
Wishful Recycling
____ people agree with the idea that recycling is an easy way to make a positive impact on the planet.
It makes you feel ____ about yourself, too.
But your efforts may ____ be harming the environment instead.
How can this be? Well, it is because you might be a ____.
What Is Wishcycling?
____ the following situation.
On your way home from school, someone hands ____ a piece of paper.
You glance at the shiny flyer ____ a new study café.
As ____ are about to throw it into the garbage, you decide to put it into the recycling bin instead.
You ____ flyers can be recycled because they’re made of paper.
____ just happened is a case of wishcycling.
It is the act of trying to recycle something that ____ not be recycled.
Wishcycling is usually done with good intentions, but it often causes more harm ____ good.
Why Is It a Problem?
The biggest problem with ____ is that it creates more waste.
For example, if you wishcycle a greasy pizza box, it can soak ____ paper products with oil.
Then everything in the recycling ____ will become non-recyclable and end up in a landfill.
Creating ____ waste is not the only problem, however.
Wishcycling also ____ to costly delays.
To process recyclable items, ____ items must be sorted out first.
The ____ non-recyclable items are mixed with recyclable items, the longer it will take to pick them out.
Wishcycled ____ can also damage the sorting machines, causing them to be temporarily shut down for repairs.
How Can We Stop Wishcycling?
With a little effort, we can put an end to ____.
First, make sure your ____ are empty, clean, and dry.
Shake out any remaining ____ from bottles and jars.
After that, ____ them out and wait for them to dry.
You also ____ to remove the labels.
Now they are ready to be ____ in the recycling bin.
This ____ process will ensure that all the items in the recycling bin can be recycled.
____, learn about the meanings of various recycling symbols.
They tell you about the material of the item and whether it can be ____ or not.
Have you ever seen a recycling symbol with the number “7” and the word “____” under it?
This symbol ____ the product is made of two different materials and will be difficult to recycle.
Checking the recycling symbols like this will help you ____ wishcycling.
Third,
Third, check the recycling guidelines for your ____ area.
Different areas have ____ rules on what can be recycled.
You can easily learn ____ the guidelines for your area by visiting your local government website.
You can ____ look for recycling posters near recycling bins.
____, don’t recycle an item when in doubt.
Even after you ____ the symbols and guidelines, you might still be unsure whether it is recyclable.
In that ____, you should put it in the trash.
You might feel bad that ____ may be throwing away a recyclable item.
However, doing so ____ actually be better for the environment.
Take comfort in the fact that ____ are not wishcycling.
We all know that living without producing ____ is impossible.
The good news is that ____ 75 percent of our waste can be recycled when it is done properly.
This is why we ____ to stop wishcycling and start recycling.
So ____ on the #stopwishcycling movement and help keep our planet green!