Over the period of a few weeks, you might have collected stacks of newspapers and buckets of empty plastic bottles and glass jars.
"I'll just throw this away," you might think as you reach for the box of industrial-size trash bags. "I'll recycle next time."
It's too bad so many people are thinking the same thing.
According to writer Chaz Miller, each person in the U.S. generates 4 pounds of trash a day. More than 70 percent of it is buried in landfills.
Recycling is an important part of the world's future. From glass and newspapers to home appliances and cell phones, recycling can help save the environment.
The number of curbside recycling systems has skyrocketed. And there are drop-off centers where you can sort your trash into bins.
Global warming is a growing problem. Save some energy with simple tasks, like putting your computer on "hibernate" while you drive to the grocery store, or wearing a warm sweater inside instead of turning up the heat.
It is important for us to keep in mind the problems of disappearing forests and global warming the next time we are faced with large amounts of trash from Thanksgiving dinner, or even from just a normal day.
Forget those large black trash bags you used to use to slide around in the snow. Pick up that recycling bin and start sorting through your trash. It's worth the trouble.
Jacqueline King
Fredericksburg
The writer is a ninth-grader at Fredericksburg Academy.