The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the average person generates more than 4 pounds of trash each day, amounting to about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year. It also estimates that 75% of the waste that goes into trash cans is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.
Horse owners aren鈥檛 exempt from these statistics. Think of how many water bottles you鈥檝e tossed after riding on a hot day or how many plastic shavings bags you鈥檝e stuffed in the trash. Fortunately, it doesn鈥檛 take much to make a few eco-friendly changes to your equine lifestyle. In this article we鈥檒l discuss what and how you can recycle and reuse for a greener barn.
Set Up a Recycling System
First things first: Encourage a more recycling-minded atmosphere at your barn, regardless of whether it鈥檚 your two-stall personal barn or a large commercial boarding facility. And your efforts will be much more effective if they鈥檙e well- thought-out and organized.
鈥淭he most important part of setting up a good recycling system is to designate a 鈥榬ecycling person in charge鈥� who is really passionate about saving the world,鈥� says Barbara G. Crabbe, DVM, of Pacific Crest Sporthorse Equine Veterinary Services, in Beavercreek, Oregon.聽Her practice made the commitment to 鈥溾�� in 2009, and she鈥檚 since set up an extensive recycling program for the clinic. 鈥淔or me, reminding my employees constantly about how important it is to our practice is huge. I actually dig through the trash when I see things that could be recycled, hunt down whoever put it in there, and tell them where it should go,鈥� adding that, yes, her colleagues sometimes fondly call her crazy.
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