Water Conservation

How to Help Delaware’s Waterways by Reducing the Use of Disposables

04/02/2015 by DeniseB

Our nation consumes about 25% of the planet’s resources, yet makes up only 5% of the world’s population. This is largely due to the U.S. ‘throw away’ mindset. According to Clean Water Action, one of the nation’s largest grassroots environmental organizations, Americans produced an average of 4.4lbs of household garbage a day in 2011, double the amount from 1960. This is largely due to the plastics and chemical industries who promoted single-use disposable items.

Plastics accounts for 60-80% of the pollutants compromising our waterways and has impacted at the very least 267 marine species. Plastics cause injuries and death to fish, marine mammals and seabirds. Recycling can only take us so far; our culture needs to focus more on the Reduce and Reuse part of the 3R ( Reduce, Reuse and Recycle).

Last March (2014), Governor Markell announced a ‘Clean Water for Delaware’s Future’ plan that would accelerate the cleanup efforts of Delaware’s streams, bays and rivers. Most of Delaware’s waters fail to meet water quality standards for drinking, swimming and supporting marine life. At that time 377 bodies of water contained excess nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus, low levels of dissolved oxygen, toxics and/or bacteria.

On March 4, 2015 Delaware Nature Society, in partnership with the Delaware Estuary and Center for the inland Bays, launched a clean water campaign statewide. A ‘Clean Water Rally’ will be held at Dover Green on June 2, 2105 from 10:30am to 12:30pm. The goal is ‘to build an alliance of Delaware stakeholders to support sustainable funding for clean water.’ – DelawareNatureSociety.org

Get Involved:

Find out how to help support ‘Clean Water for Delaware’s Future’ and by signing the

‘I Choose Clean Water’ petition

Some Alarming Facts:

67% of street litter is food and beverage packaging
$11.5 billion worth of recyclables are tossed every year.
The average household’s trash is made up of 30% of packaging waste (mostly plastic)

Things You Can Do to Reduce the Amount of Disposables:

Eliminate single use disposables, bring your own coffee mug and reusable water bottle to work, use reusable tote bag for shopping, pack a waste-free lunch
Straws end up in our waterways harming marine life. Of you really need one, buy a reusable one.
Avoid purchasing over-package foods – they are bad for the environment and usually unhealthy for you
Avoid unnecessary use of plastic bags on rolls in the fruit and vegetable department.

5 GREEN Ways to Save Your Delaware Business Money this Year

02/26/2015 by DeniseB

Going Green is not only good for business, it’s good for your Budget. If the idea of saving your business money interests you then try implementing these 5 policies for your office.

Create a ‘Switch Off’ Campaign: Optimizing your energy use on computers and other hardware equipment, as well as using lighting in only the spaces that are occupied can be an economic and environmental benefit. Consider supplying all employees with a ‘Smart’ power strip to cut back on ‘phantom load’, a senseless drain on power when devices aren’t even on.
Switch to PCW (Post-Consumer Waste) Paper Products: These paper and packaging products use 45% less energy to produce and create half the waste than that of the traditional papermaking process. Needless to say, skip using paper when possible and be sure to implement a paper recycling policy throughout the office.
Relamp the office using compact-fluorescent (CFL) or LED lights: Although these bulbs are more expensive than standard incandescent bulbs, they use much less energy and last a lot longer. It could possible save you up to $200 per bulb over time.
Implement a comprehensive recycling policy: Create a recycling area within easy access with clearly labeled bins to recycle cardboard, plastics, glass, CDs, batteries, fluorescent tubes, IT equipment, etc…
Install Water Hippos: Water conservation is another great way to go green. Placing water hippos in toilet cisterns will reduce the amount of water used for each flush.

Green Business is Good for Business!

Waste Masters Solutions, a leading commercial waste management company serving Delaware and the Tri-State area, is continually looking for smarter, more cost effective and environmentally friendly ways to manage waste. We can help Make your Business Eco-Friendly, call us today!

302-824-0909

5 Ways To Conserve Water in Your Delaware Home

10/14/2014 by DeniseB

Water Conservation Delaware

Fresh and clean water is considered a limited resource. Natural occurrences such as droughts limit our access to fresh water, making it especially important to reduce the amount of water we use each day. Not only does water conservation help prevent pollution in our local lakes and rivers, but it can also help with lowering your utility bill.

Want to know how you can start conserving water in your Delaware home? Read below to get started!

Check for leaks. A small drip from your faucet can waste 20 gallons of water every day and even more if the leak is larger. You should regularly check for leaks in your faucet, pipes, and toilets to prevent wasted water.
Take a shorter shower. Try to keep your shower less than five minutes as much as you can. A four minute shower uses somewhere between 20 to 40 gallons of water. By keeping your shower under 5 minutes you will ultimately save 1,000 gallons of water per month!
Water Yard Early. Waiting to water the plants later in the day when the temperatures start to increase is extremely wasteful because most of the water is evaporated before the plants are able to drink it. We suggest watering the yard early when temperatures are cool, however if this is not possible then you should wait until late evening.
Turn off water when brushing teeth. There is really no point in having the water kept on in between brushing. You can save up to 8 gallons by turning the water off while brushing your teeth!
Use a bucket and sponge. When washing your car and/or bike, you should always fill up a bucket and use a sponge to rinse rather than using a hose. Leaving a hose running can potentially waste 6 gallons of water every 60 seconds.

If you have questions about water conservation, contact the experts at Waste Masters Solutions