The Importance of Recycling

How much waste do you think the average U.S. citizen produces each year?

According to the EPA¹, the average U.S. citizen produced 4.4 pounds of waste per day during 2000. This is the equivalent of over 1600 pounds of trash per year per person or more than 220 tons of waste being generated each year.

Trash comes from many sources, including bottles, boxes, cans, yard trimmings, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, newspapers, and much more. Americans also dispose of several million tons of tires, appliances, furniture, paper, clothing, and other durable and non-durable goods each year as well. Packaging waste, including glass, aluminum, plastics, metals, paper, and paperboard, also contributes significantly to our annual waste totals. Even yard trimmings, such as grass clippings and tree limbs, are a substantial part of what is thrown away.

According to the EPA, below is an estimate of the type and percentage of waste products generated by Americans today.

Trash Type	Percentage	Tonnage
*(e.g., rubber, leather, textiles, wood, miscellaneous inorganic wastes)
Paper	40.4%	71.6 million tons
Yard Trimmings	17.6%	31.6 million tons
Metals	8.5%	15.3 million tons
Plastics	8.0%	14.4 million tons
Food Scraps	7.4%	13.2 million tons
Glass	7.0%	12.5 million tons
Other^*	11.6%	20.8 million tons

The good news? Americans are embracing recycling programs in records numbers. The EPA estimates that over 30% of the waste produced by Americans during 2000 actually ended up in recycling programs. Commonly recycled items include certain plastics, paper, and cardboard.

Certain communities and businesses have also established recycling programs for some of the more toxic products produced by our society, including batteries, printer/toner cartridges, computers, and even used oil!

Recycling Plastics

Many of the plastic products we use today are either recyclable or made of recycled materials. You have probably noticed that most products made from plastic have a code inside of a triangle on the bottom surface of the container. Have you ever wondered what those codes mean?

The Society of the Plastics Industry developed a numerical coding system in the late 1980s to help indicate which plastic material has been used for a given product. There are six different types of plastic resins that are commonly used to package household products. An explanation for each code is provided below:

"1" - PETE or Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

PET is used to produce soda and water containers as well as some waterproof packaging. The largest use for recycled PET is in textiles, such as carpets. PET is also spun to make fiber fillings for pillows, quilts, and jackets. PET can also be used in video and audio cassettes. In addition, a substantial quantity goes back into the bottle market. Many community recycling programs accept plastic products labeled with a "1."

"2" - HDPE or High-Density Polyethylene

HDPE is used to produce milk, detergent, and oil bottles, as well as toys and plastic bags. Recycled HDPE is used for plastic pipes, lumber, flower pots, trash cans, or formed into bottles for nonfood applications. Many community recycling programs accept plastic products labeled with a "2."

"3" - Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Used to produce food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, blister packages. Some community recycling programs do not take plastics labeled with a "3."

"4" - LDPE Low-Density Polyethylene

Used for plastic bags, shrink wrap, or garment bags. Some community recycling programs do not accept plastics labeled with a "4."

"5" - PP Polypropylene

Used to produce refrigerated containers, some bags, most bottle tops, some carpets, some food wrap. Some community recycling programs do not accept plastics labeled with a "5."

"6" - PS Polystyrene

Used for throwaway utensils, meat packing, and protective packing. Some community recycling programs will accept plastics labeled with a "6."

"7" - Other

What You Can Do to Reduce Waste

There are many actions we can take to reduce the amount of waste we generate or that we send to the landfill. Challenge yourself (or even your family and friends) to see just how much waste you can reduce from your weekly curbside pickup. Can you reduce your weekly waste by 25%, 30%, or even 50%? Below are some tips to help you.

Reuse products. If you do not have a recycling program in your community, or if the material or product is not currently recyclable, try to find another use for the product rather than throwing it away.
Compost organic material. Composting yard trimmings, food scraps, and other organic wastes can dramatically reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills. To learn more about how to set up your own composting bin, the EPA has developed an online Composting is Easy guide, which consumers can access via the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/catbook/compost.htm.
Use paper bags rather than plastic. Ask your grocer to carry paper grocery bags instead of plastic.
Sell or donate products you can no longer use, such as clothing and furniture.
Recycle, recycle, recycle!!! Take advantage of your community's recycling program, if one is available. If your community does not have such a program, volunteer to start one. Some organizations estimate that the average family can reduce their weekly waste by 50% through recycling paper, cardboard, cans, plastic bottles, and other recyclable materials.
Use products made from recycled material whenever possible. Support recycling efforts by purchasing products made from recycled materials.
Use rechargeable batteries. Using rechargeable batteries not only helps to reduce waste, but it also helps keep the toxic metals found in some batteries out of landfills.
Donate or recycle your old computer. Computers contain many materials that are considered toxic and should not be disposed of in a landfill. Rather than throwing out that old computer, see if any local charities, schools, or senior citizen centers can use the computer system. Or, contact the manufacturer of your old computer (or the new one you just purchased) to see if they have a recycling program for older computers.

More tips for reducing waste are available from the EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/catbook/index.htm.

1 - Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency's Municipal Solid Waste Factbook--Internet Version site (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/index.htm).