By Staff
To the editor:
Escambia County Enrichment students are concerned about our environment. We would like to have a county-wide recycling program. We need one or we might run out of areas to put landfills. With people putting approximately 75 percent of our solid waste into landfills, the number is decreasing because of improper permits. Our landfills have decreased from 18,500 in 1978 to 6,500 in 1988, and approximately 3,250 today. The number of landfills is decreasing by the month.
Each person discards about four pounds of trash per day. This adds up to 1,590 pounds per year. With the number of Americans increasing, that also means the amount of trash is growing. With approximately 240 million Americans, that amounts to about 960 millions pounds of trash per day, and 180 million tons per year and growing. These are approximate figures.
With almost anything being thrown away, from food to paper, and even old refrigerators, our landfills are becoming extinct.
If the citizens of Esambia County can get a recycling program, we can help the environment. Please, I am asking you to participate in a recycling program. The more we recycle, the more we can improve the environment for future generations.
Sincerely,
Andrew Lambeth
Escambia County Enrichment Program