Facts on Wastefulness and Recycling

Wastefulness is a bad habit. However, recycling can help save us from wastefulness, allowing for the reuse of materials and a reduction in the waste we generate. It also saves natural resources from being used up. Sustainability, or not consuming all existing natural resources, may help ensure a healthy environment for future generations, reduce waste and even create new jobs.

Wastefulness

• According to Keep America Beautiful, Americans generate 251 million tons of waste each year. That number has tripled since 1960. As societies become more affluent, they consume more and waste more. In addition, the population increases each year, meaning more consumers are born. Little things, like increased packaging for new products, generate waste that is generally not biodegradable.

  Consumption is endemic to our society. According to A Recycling Revolution, Americans use 80 billion aluminum cans each day. The Sunday editions of U.S. newspapers consume 500,000 trees, and the average American uses seven trees a year in paper and wood products. While Americans represent only 5 percent of the world's population, we generate 40 percent of its garbage.

Recycling

• Recycling means using something that would have otherwise been thrown away. A wide variety of materials can be recycled, including paper, glass, metals, yard and food waste, batteries, plastics, clothes and household furnishings. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a national recycling goal that 35 percent of the waste stream should be recycled. Because the U.S. generates an increasing amount of waste, recycling is key to managing it.

  Recycling saves resources. According to A Recycling Revolution, every ton of paper recycled saves 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. Aluminum cans are easy to recycle and many users do. In fact, less than 1 percent of these cans make it to the waste stream without being recycled. Recycling a single aluminum can, rather than making a new one, saves enough energy to power a television for three hours.

Environmental Impact

• According to the Environmental Defense Fund, recycling has a significant environmental impact. It cuts pollution, conserves resources and energy, costs the same as using a landfill, and creates new jobs. Americans have embraced recycling, according to the Environmental Leader; almost 75 percent of people report they reycle something in their homes.

  Reduction of landfills is particularly important because they emit greenhouse gases that have been shown to contribute to global warming. In addition, re-using recycled resources generally costs less for manufacturers and has a lower environmental impact that making a product from scratch, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

Ways to Recycle

• According to Earth911.com, more than half the homes in the U.S. have access to curbside recycling. There are three main types: single stream, dual stream and pay-as-you-throw recycling. Single-stream recycling means you can toss all recyclables into a single garbage cart and take it out to the curb on garbage day. Dual-stream recycling requires that paper goes in one bin and containers go in another. Pay-as-you-go charges consumers by the garbage bag but recycling is free, making it more likely that waste will be recycled. Instead of curbside recycling, some communities offer recycling centers where recyclables can be disposed.

Buy Recycled

• Buying recycled products is an important step in reducing waste. To make recycling profitable, there must be a market for the resulting goods. BuyRecycled.com advises that a good way to start is by buying recycled office paper made with at least 30 percent waste. When making larger purchases, for example like carpet, read the tag on the back of the sample to determine if it was manufactured using recycled plastic. Almost all products made with recycled materials will list this fact on the label.