Recycla’s family drinks a lot of water.  A lot of water.  Each person usually has a full cup on the counter or in the fridge, for whenever they feel thirsty.  The family keeps a Brita pitcher in the fridge so that cold water is always available to them.

Maintaining the pitcher is easy:  Every three months, Recycla uses the water in the pitcher to water her plants.  She washes the pitcher and adds a new filter.  But what to do with the old filter?  Can it be recycled in any way?

If Recycla lived in Europe, the answer would be YES!  Germany has a Brita filter take-back system in which the filters are reused and recycled.

Here in the U.S., however, the answer is NO. When the filter comes to the end of its life, it goes into the trash, thereby leading to more potentially recyclable materials ending up in landfills.

That may soon end.  A group of U. S. Eco Warriors has started the Take Back the Filter Campaign to encourage Clorox (the company who owns Brita in the U.S.) to start a recycling program similar to the one in Germany.

It’s easy to show your support:

• Visit the site.
• Sign the petition.
• Send your used filters to: Take Back the Filter, 5245 College Avenue, Box 815, Oakland, CA 94618
• Spread the word.

This may seem like a little thing, but remember that it’s the little things that make a difference!