My name is Hana, and I live in an apartment in Daejeon with my mom and dad. Once a week, we take our trash down to the recycling area. There are large bins for paper, plastic, cans, and glass, and each bin has a sign.
My job is to sort the plastic bottles. First, I empty each bottle and rinse it with water. Then I peel off the label. I also press the bottle flat so it takes up less space. Dad says that clean bottles are easier to recycle because dirty ones can spoil a whole bin.
Why do we separate our trash with so much care? When we recycle, factories can turn used things into new products. That way, they need fewer fresh materials. Old paper becomes new paper, and used cans become new cans. Plastic bottles can even be made into soft thread for warm jackets. As a result, we cut down fewer trees and make less garbage.
My teacher taught us two more ways to help our planet. The first way is to reduce, which means using less. I bring my own water bottle to school, so I almost never buy drinks in plastic bottles. The second way is to reuse, which means using a thing again. Instead of throwing away an old jam jar, I use it to hold my pencils.
Although these actions seem small, they make a big change when many people do them. The Earth is our only home, so I try to protect the environment each day.