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MCC Daily Tribune

Green Tip: Kick the (water bottle) Habit!

According to National Geographic Kids article on “Plastic Pollution”, Americans buy around 29 billion bottles of water a year. and less than 1 of every 6 bottles gets recycled properly. Most end up in landfills. The Earth Policy Institute reports that: “The most commonly used plastic for making water bottles is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is derived from crude oil. Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel more than 1 million U.S. cars for a year.” 

Transport and disposal of the bottles adds to the resources used, and water extraction – which is concentrated in communities where bottling plants are located – adds to the strains bottled water puts on our ecosystem. 

How can you help? Reduce & Reuse 

  • Stock your home with reusable water bottles to use. Only use returnable plastic bottles when necessary. 
  • Purchase a water filter. Keep your filtered water in the refrigerator and use it to fill your reusable water bottle. 
  • Here at MCC we have refilling stations. Unit filters are checked periodically and changed with light indicator. on There is one on every floor at the Downtown Campus, and at these locations at the Brighton Campus: 
    • Building 1:  Floor 1 near restroom and Floor 3 near President's Office  
    • Building 3:  1st floor near ATM 
    • Building 4:  Theater Lobby 
    • Building 5:  Floors 2 to 5 near restrooms 
    • Building 6:  Floor 2 near elevator 
    • Building 7:  1st floor in center of hallway 
    • Building 8:  Floors 2 to 6 near restrooms 
    • Building 10:  Floor 1 near pool and 2 near gym 
    • Building 21: Floor 1 near restrooms/garage and 2nd floor near restrooms 

Recycle! 

If you do use a plastic bottle, be sure to empty it and recycle it properly. Empty the bottle completely, place the cap back on tightly and place it in the Blue Recycling bin at MCC. 

You can also return plastic water bottles to the grocery store and get back the 5-cent deposit. 

Ann Penwarden
Sustainability Steering Committee  
04/09/2024