The Awful Truth


	The Awful Truth

We might say we always want to hear the truth, but some times that is exactly what we do NOT want to hear. If someone tells you that you have bad breath, the awful truth might offend you, but it gives you the opportunity to improve the situation.

The awful truth about our planet is that no matter what we do, it will never return to being the Garden of Eden. That was God’s creation and man was given the task of nurturing himself and the garden with God’s bounty. But we all know that man has fallen short in our job and if we were on TV’s ‘The Apprentice’, we might have been struck off long ago!

However, just like bad breath, knowing the awful truth gives us the opportunity to improve the situation! So, in order to begin making a difference, it is unpleasantly necessary to hear the awful truth ... and nothing but the truth.


	The Awful Truth - The Dump

Modern landfills are designed to inhibit degradation so that toxic wastes do not seep into the surrounding soil and groundwater. A degradable paper cup that would normally degrade in less than a year will still be a paper cup 20 years from now. Learn more about how long it takes buried trash to disappear.

How Many Years to Disappear?
Aluminium Can	200-500 years
Banana Peel	3 - 5 weeks
Chewing Gum	1 to 5 years
Cigarette filters	1 to 12 years
Cotton Sock	5-6 months
Nappy or Sanitary pads	500-800 years
Glass Bottle	1 million years or more
Leather Belt or shoes	25-50 years
Nylon fabric (tights)	30-40 years
Orange peel	6 months
Paper, one piece	2 to 5 months
Paper Box	1-2 months
Plastic Bag	10 to 20 years
Plastic Bottle	1 million years or more
Plastic six-pack rings	450 years
Rag, Cotton	1 to 5 months
Rope, hemp	3 to 14 months
Styrofoam/Styrene Cup	1 million years or more
Tetrapaks (plastic juice cartons)	5 years
Tin can	50 – 100 years
Wooden Block	10-20 years
Wool socks	1 – 5 years


	TAKE THE TEST: Look into your wastebins just as they are this moment and calculate how long it will take for YOUR rubbish to decompose.




Coming Next in “EcoCongregation Matters” Sadly, we have not heard the last word on the Awful Truth. Remember, we have to know what is wrong before we can fix it, so be sure to come back soon for the next chapter toward Making a Change!

       One Company:
             Making a Change!
   In early 2007, Persil implemented a bold change in the manufacture and delivery of its laundry detergent. Persil Small & Mighty is 2x CONCENTRATED, requires only ½ THE WATER to make it, ½ THE PACKAGING volume and ½ THE LORRIES to deliver it. Plus, it's effective even at low temperatures, further protecting the environment in home use.
   From March to December 2007, the amount of Persil sold saved in production 4.1 million litres of water, 4900 trees, 29 million plastic bags, 84 tonnes of CO2 and saved an average of 57 football fields of shelf space!

2135658702