1. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. And Quit Littering!
Clean Fairfax Council
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. And Quit Littering!

2. The Big Picture
The Problem:
The litter we throw out here ends up everywhere—there is no such thing as “away”
Recycling markets are looking shaky.
Stuff that isn’t recycled ends up as litter
We’re not taking very good care of the planet

3. The Big Picture Change the way we educate people
The Solution:
Change the way we educate people
Work on gateway changes (just one thing)
Behavior + System Changes
Recycling is great but we really need LESS STUFF

4. Is this yours?—show pics of local trash!
Stream in public park near Tysons Corner

5. Big Picture Trash Pics!
Hawaii Islands

6. Show how trash Damages ecosystem Guilt Does Work!

7. Trash vs Ecosystem

9. Do Better
Never take another plastic grocery bag again. Bring Your Own Bag!
Only 1-2% of the annual 380 MILLION plastic bags are recycled in the United States.
When Washington DC implemented their bag tax, they saw a more than 75% decrease in plastic bag trash in the Anacostia River watershed within the first year

10. Do Better Stop buying one-use water bottles
In addition to the millions of gallons of water used in the plastic-making process, two gallons of water are wasted in the purification process for every gallon that goes into the bottles.
More than 80 percent of water bottles are not recycled
Bottled water is not any cleaner than Fairfax Water and in some cases is just some other municipality’s tap water
Studies have suggested that plastic can cause health problems, especially in children and the elderly. Plastic beverage bottles are the #1 most found item in our streams, accounting for about 70% of what we count and pick up.

11. Say No To Plastic Straws
Do Better
Say No To Plastic Straws
500,000,000 straws are used/wasted every day in the US
invest in a stainless steel straw or a glass straw if you love straws, otherwise don’t take one at fast food places, and tell your server when you order food that you don’t need one. Straws are rarely recycled and are one of the most littered item found on beaches during clean ups.

12. Behavior Change

13. Less is more

14. *Water bottle data courtesy of Oregon DEQ

15. The New Simple Message
Try giving up ONE plastic
—If you’re not recycling AND reducing, you’re a big part of the problem.
“Hey Neighbor /Mayor/ Governor/ What changes have YOU made?”

16. Keeping Fairfax County Clean, Green, and Sustainable
Clean Fairfax Council
Keeping Fairfax County Clean, Green, and Sustainable