Recycle Responsibly this Earth Day with Goodwill!
The annual celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd is dedicated to enhancing public awareness about the importance of responsible recycling and strengthening efforts to preserve our planet. For more than 100 years, Ohio Valley Goodwill has been committed to responsible recycling with an emphasis on renewing and re-using donated items, diverting them from area landfills. Last year alone, the organization helped to recycle more than 55 million pounds of donated product including Textiles (13M), Hard Goods (41M), Cardboard (50K), Steel/Electronics (91K) and Office Paper (35K). In 2014, Goodwill was recognized for its recycling efforts with the “Excellence in Re-Use Award” from Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District. While Goodwill takes pride in its daily and on-going efforts to re-use and renew through its business model of selling donated goods through its network of 18 retail stores, the organization joins with the larger community in its concern about environmental waste and its destructive impact.
A recent article about textile waste, https://daily.jstor.org/fast-fashion-fills-our-landfills/ points out the following concerns: ” What’s more, despite efforts to collect old clothes by retailers and nonprofits like Goodwill Industries, the overwhelming majority of items eventually wind up in landfills, at least in the U.S. Americans dispose of about 12.8 million tons of textiles annually, which amounts to about 80 pounds for each man, woman, and child, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates.” In honor of Earth Day and every day, Ohio Valley Goodwill encourages everyone to choose to donate responsibly and in an earth-friendly manner. Goodwill has 33 conveniently located donation sites in the Greater Cincinnati community which can be located here www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/donate.
Additional facts related to the importance of recycling are taken from https://www.earthsfriends.com/why-recycling-important/
Studies have shown that:
“¢ More than 60% of the rubbish that ends up in trash bins can be recycled.
“¢ Around 16% of the cost of a product is spent on its packaging which is completely wasted if not disposed of properly.
“¢ 80% of a vehicle can be recycled. Please consider donating your unwanted car to Goodwill this Earth Day and every day. For more information, visit www.goodwillcars.com.
“¢ Aluminum cans can be recycled completely and put to use in a short time.
“¢ Thousands of glass jars and bottles are thrown away everyday. At Goodwill, these are popular sale items in our stores!
“¢ Glass can be recycled 100% and reused.
“¢ Glass products which end up in landfills do not decompose at all.
“¢ It has been observed that 24 trees are cut down to make one ton of paper.
“¢ On the contrary, recycled paper is proved to create 70% less pollution compared to normal non-recycled material paper production.
“¢ Plastics, which can often be recycled, take around 500 years to decompose.
“¢ One recycled tin can saves enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.
“¢ 70% less energy is utilized to recycle paper compared to making it from raw materials.
“¢ Similarly when you recycle one glass bottle, it can save enough energy to power a personal computer for 25 minutes.
Please join Goodwill in choosing to recycle responsibly this Earth Day and every day! For a complete directory of Goodwill donation centers, visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/donate. Thank you for your support of Goodwill’s commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible recycling. Let’s work together to reduce all waste and textile waste specifically. Shop Goodwill and renew your fashion style in an environmentally conscious way! 
