![\"Crumpled](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/409_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
The facts.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- \n
Today only 25% of US waste<\/span><\/a> is actually recycled (don\u2019t assume that everything collected curbside is actually recycled)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
In 2017, the average American<\/span><\/a> generated 4.51lbs of garbage per day, up from 2.68 lbs in 1960<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
A 2021 survey showed that 95% of Americans report<\/span><\/a> that they recycle. Yet, in reality 34% recycle \u2018frequently\u2019 while 25% (62 million Americans), recycle \u2018some of the time\u2019, at best.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
Less than 50% say they know the basics of recycling. For example, how boxes should be cleaned out and broken down for pick-up (49%) or where to drop off recycling if they needed to (46%).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n >
\n \u201c<\/span>Every hour, 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away in the U.S. Plastic bottles take upwards of 450 years to degrade.\u201d<\/span>
\n <\/blockquote>— World Economic Forum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\nThe big picture.<\/span><\/h3>\nRecycling is a fraught topic. Our efforts in the United States run the gamut, from those who meticulously sort each and every recyclable, to those who scoff, claiming everything just goes to the landfill anyway. What we do know is that natural resources are getting scarcer, landfills are overflowing, our planet is in peril, and our consumption and packaging waste is out of control. So, in this post we\u2019re going to give you the lowdown on where we are as a country in terms of recycling, investigate how we can make the process better, and give you some helpful recycling tips!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/country-recycling-infographic.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\nCompared to the rest of the world, we are not doing well.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\nHow does recycling impact the planet?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nWhile this is a huge topic, let\u2019s break it down. Of course, from an environmental perspective, we would ideally want to recycle as much as possible. But in a resource constrained world, it makes sense to focus on materials which have the highest impact – metals and glass can be recycled infinitely<\/strong> and have the biggest impact on Greenhouse Gases (GHG). In practice, however, we are primarily recycling paper and cardboard, as the chart below from the EPA demonstrates. <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Chart](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/chart.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n2018 EPA breakdown of recycling in the US<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n
\n\n- \n
Paper can be recycled five to seven times before it\u2019s too degraded to be made into \u201cnew\u201d paper<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- \n
Plastic can only be recycled once or twice\u2014and usually not into a food container<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\nIn contrast, take a look at the table below to see how much GHG<\/span><\/a> it takes to manufacture the same items from new materials vs recycled materials. Pound for pound it makes sense to recycle glass and metal,<\/em><\/strong> not only for the GHG emission savings, but for the bonus that they can be recycled indefinitely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Chart](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/recycling.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\nRecycling\u2019s impact on other countries.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThe US ships much of its recyclables overseas. Prior to 2016, China accepted over 16 million tonnes of paper, plastic and metal for use in its manufacturing industry; however, over 30% of this was unusable due to contamination. <\/p>\n
As a result, China increased its standards for what it would accept in an attempt to curb this problem. SInce that time, we are exporting less garbage (see plastic numbers below) <\/p>\n
\n- \n
However, now our exported garbage is being sent to countries with lax labor and environmental laws, such as Cambodia, Bangladesh and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
In these countries, its residents face health problems<\/span><\/a> such as contaminated water, crop death and respiratory illness from incineration of these plastics. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Plastic](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/410_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Chart](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/plastic-pollution.png\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\nDoes recycling impact us personally?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nRecycling has become part of our culture. Approximately, 78% of <\/span>Americans<\/span><\/span><\/a> who do not always recycle confess they feel guilty about this sub-par behavior. Among these folks who feel remorse, almost half (49%) say they feel this way because they know their waste is likely to end up in a landfill.<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \n
1 in 4 (27%) report that it is because they let the inconvenience of recycling overshadow doing something for the greater good<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
Nearly one in five (18%) \u2013 or 44 million Americans \u2013 admit that learning someone does not recycle is a dating turn-off<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
88% of Americans who recycle frequently feel better about doing their part to help the environment<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
98% of parents intend to teach their children about recycling<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nWhat does this all mean and what can we do?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nAs a nation, we have a long way to go. Recycling success varies significantly from state to state, most states recycle paper and cardboard but there are significant variations in recycling plastic, metal and glass.<\/p>\n
In general, states which have good curbside pickup infrastructure, good data collection and a bottle return deposit systems have the best results. <\/p>\n
See how your state stacks up here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Today only 25% of US waste<\/span><\/a> is actually recycled (don\u2019t assume that everything collected curbside is actually recycled)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n In 2017, the average American<\/span><\/a> generated 4.51lbs of garbage per day, up from 2.68 lbs in 1960<\/p>\n<\/li>\n A 2021 survey showed that 95% of Americans report<\/span><\/a> that they recycle. Yet, in reality 34% recycle \u2018frequently\u2019 while 25% (62 million Americans), recycle \u2018some of the time\u2019, at best.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Less than 50% say they know the basics of recycling. For example, how boxes should be cleaned out and broken down for pick-up (49%) or where to drop off recycling if they needed to (46%).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n Recycling is a fraught topic. Our efforts in the United States run the gamut, from those who meticulously sort each and every recyclable, to those who scoff, claiming everything just goes to the landfill anyway. What we do know is that natural resources are getting scarcer, landfills are overflowing, our planet is in peril, and our consumption and packaging waste is out of control. So, in this post we\u2019re going to give you the lowdown on where we are as a country in terms of recycling, investigate how we can make the process better, and give you some helpful recycling tips!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How does recycling impact the planet?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n While this is a huge topic, let\u2019s break it down. Of course, from an environmental perspective, we would ideally want to recycle as much as possible. But in a resource constrained world, it makes sense to focus on materials which have the highest impact – metals and glass can be recycled infinitely<\/strong> and have the biggest impact on Greenhouse Gases (GHG). In practice, however, we are primarily recycling paper and cardboard, as the chart below from the EPA demonstrates. <\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n 2018 EPA breakdown of recycling in the US<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Paper can be recycled five to seven times before it\u2019s too degraded to be made into \u201cnew\u201d paper<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Plastic can only be recycled once or twice\u2014and usually not into a food container<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n In contrast, take a look at the table below to see how much GHG<\/span><\/a> it takes to manufacture the same items from new materials vs recycled materials. Pound for pound it makes sense to recycle glass and metal,<\/em><\/strong> not only for the GHG emission savings, but for the bonus that they can be recycled indefinitely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Recycling\u2019s impact on other countries.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The US ships much of its recyclables overseas. Prior to 2016, China accepted over 16 million tonnes of paper, plastic and metal for use in its manufacturing industry; however, over 30% of this was unusable due to contamination. <\/p>\n As a result, China increased its standards for what it would accept in an attempt to curb this problem. SInce that time, we are exporting less garbage (see plastic numbers below) <\/p>\n However, now our exported garbage is being sent to countries with lax labor and environmental laws, such as Cambodia, Bangladesh and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n In these countries, its residents face health problems<\/span><\/a> such as contaminated water, crop death and respiratory illness from incineration of these plastics. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Does recycling impact us personally?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Recycling has become part of our culture. Approximately, 78% of <\/span>Americans<\/span><\/span><\/a> who do not always recycle confess they feel guilty about this sub-par behavior. Among these folks who feel remorse, almost half (49%) say they feel this way because they know their waste is likely to end up in a landfill.<\/span><\/p>\n 1 in 4 (27%) report that it is because they let the inconvenience of recycling overshadow doing something for the greater good<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Nearly one in five (18%) \u2013 or 44 million Americans \u2013 admit that learning someone does not recycle is a dating turn-off<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n 88% of Americans who recycle frequently feel better about doing their part to help the environment<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n 98% of parents intend to teach their children about recycling<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n As a nation, we have a long way to go. Recycling success varies significantly from state to state, most states recycle paper and cardboard but there are significant variations in recycling plastic, metal and glass.<\/p>\n In general, states which have good curbside pickup infrastructure, good data collection and a bottle return deposit systems have the best results. <\/p>\n See how your state stacks up here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n >
\n \u201c<\/span>Every hour, 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away in the U.S. Plastic bottles take upwards of 450 years to degrade.\u201d<\/span>
\n <\/blockquote>
\nThe big picture.<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nCompared to the rest of the world, we are not doing well.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\nWhat does this all mean and what can we do?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Crushed](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/411_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n