Refill Not Landfill

Last Content Update: Monday, May 1, 2023

This APRIL we committed to REFILL, NOT LANDFILL

Reduce, REUSE, Recycle! During the month of April, we asked you to focus your attention on the Second “R” and look for opportunities to REUSE. Reusing items to shrink or eliminate the amount of waste that gets landfilled is becoming more important as we look to the future of waste disposal.

Refill NOT Landfill Pledge

This year, we celebrated the 6th Annual Refill NOT Landfill month with the City of Lebanon. On April 5, 2023, the Refill NOT Landfill Proclamation was read at the Lebanon City Council meeting and signed by Mayor McNamara.

The Hanover Consumer Cooperative (the Coop) partnered with the City for the 2023 Refill NOT Landfill campaign once again. Refillable/Reusable prizes were awarded randomly each week during the month of April and selected from those who committed to Refill by taking our online Refill Not Landfill pledge.

The pledge drive is now closed but we wanted to thank all who participated by pledging to Refill NOT Landfill during the month of April. We hope you will continue to make a personal commitment to reuse, refill, and recycle all year long.

A very special thank you to the COOP for their extraordinary support and generous prize packages. We look forward to renewing our efforts next April.

Refill Not Landfill Weekly Winners

The following people were randomly selected and were awarded one of the generous 2023 prize packages provided by Hanover Consumer Cooperative.

Week 1: William Saliga
Week 2: Heidi Conner
Week 3: Judy Barker
Week 4: Hannah Brilling

Reusing is Easy

REUSING can easily be done with a bit of planning and commitment. For 2023, we encourage participants to pull out all the stops. This year, we want to see people commit to reusing a minimum of two items:

Reusable water bottles
Travel mugs for coffee - many local coffee shops will give a discount when using your own mug
Cloth/reusable grocery bags
Packing a lunch
Buying in bulk with reusable containers

Facts to get you thinking

Drink Local

Last year, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles but recycled only 38! In one year, using a reusable water bottle prevents the creation of nearly 1,500 plastic bottles. Water is a local resource that does not require plastic bottles or transportation. Filling a water bottle saves a lot and eliminates waste.

Carry a Mug

As a nation, we consume 400 million cups of coffee per day (400 Million!) If you buy just one cup of coffee in a disposable cup each day, you will create nearly 23 lbs of waste in one year. You may not be aware, but the cups are NOT recyclable or compostable because they are made of a composite paper and plastic material.

Making 400 million disposable coffee cups for American coffee drinkers requires resources. To produce this quantity of cups:

9.4 million trees were harvested;
363 million pounds of waste were generated; and,
3,125,000 tons of CO2 emissions were generated.

Bring Your Own Bag

Each year, Americans use nearly 365 single-use grocery bags per person. Only 1% of plastic grocery bags are recycled. Keep a couple of bags in your vehicle and bring your own bag next time you go shopping.

Carry-In, Carry Out

An average student school lunch can generate more than 65 lbs of waste annually. Use reusable drink containers and reusable baggies/containers for sandwiches and snacks. Also, pack real utensils and a cloth napkin. Reducing lunchbox waste is easy when you choose to reuse.