PROTECT THE PLANET

Public Services Division Codes Enforcement Office Solid Waste Office Map of Recycling Centers Protect the Planet Recycling Batteries Recycling Centers Recycling Computers Recycling Facts Recycling Events Recycling Questionable Items Recycling Winners Solid Waste Mgmt Facility Listed below are 10 simple things that you can do to help protect the planet every day: Recycle: Start recycling in your home and office We throw away enough office paper every year to build a 12 feet high wall from New York City to Los Angeles Buy Recycled: Purchase products made from and packaged in recycled materials Making new paper from recycled paper uses 30-35% less energy than making paper from trees and it reduces air pollution by 95% Compost: Start a compost pile in your backyard Approximately 30% of the United States' trash is yard waste and kitchen scraps Conserve Water: Install water conserving devices in your shower The bathroom accounts for 75% of all the water used in a home Drive Less: Walk, ride a bike, carpool or use public transportation If each commuter car carried one more passenger, 600,000 gallons of gasoline would be saved and 12 million pounds of carbon dioxide would be kept out of the air Check Your Thermostat: Make sure it is off when you are not home If consumers set their air conditioners six degrees higher, it would save 190,000 barrels of oil a day Tune in to Tune-Ups: Take your car in for regular tune-ups If 190,000 car owners started to get regular tune-ups, they would keep some 90 million pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere Properly Dispose of Paints, Solvents, Pesticides and Auto Fluids: Improperly disposed of used motor oil from a single oil change can ruin a million gallons of fresh water - a year's supply for 50 people Light Right: Use energy saving light bulbs Replacing a common incandescent light bulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb saves 45 watts and 157 kilowatt hours Avoid Excess Packaging: Buy products in the least amount of packaging More than 25 million barrels of oil are used each year to make the plastic packaging used in America Change the World, One Light at a Time, with an ENERGY STAR: The City of Knoxville's Public Service Division has made a commitment to do our part to save energy and help protect our environment. With your help, we can do even more. Be part of our team and PLEDGE HERE to make your next light one that's earned the government's ENERGY STAR® for excellence in energy efficiency. The Pledge is a simple, but vital method of getting more people like you to commit to reducing greenhouse gases and saving energy resources, one light at a time. Our goal is to get 100 people to Pledge to change at least one light at home. Just think, by reaching this goal we will be making a significant impact on our environment, reducing approximately 44,600 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions and save 28,200 kWh.