— Americans use enough plastic wrap to wrap all of Texas every year.

— Every year we create 11.5 million tons of ferrous waste.

— Recycling creates jobs. Recycling in the US is a $236 billion a year industry. More than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises employ 1.1 million workers nationwide.

— Compost is a natural organic soil amendment and fertilizer made from a variety of yard waste and food scraps. Compost is “gardener’s gold,” ready to use in the home landscape. It improves soil structure, retains water, encourages root growth, aerates soil, releases nutrients slowly, supports beneficial organisms and earthworms, and suppresses some soil-borne diseases. Compost also helps protect water quality because it absorbs rainwater and filters out many pollutants. It is useful as a soil amendment throughout the landscape, including lawns, trees, shrubs, vegetable gardens and flower beds.

Information provided by ReGroup, a nonprofit educational group, formed in 1989 to develop public awareness of waste reduction, reuse and recycling benefits on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. ReGroup meets every third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Hope Community Resources Community Center on Princeton Avenue off Kalifornsky Beach Road, unless otherwise notified.