When you drop your cans down at the end of the driveway for your weekly curbside pickup, you probably don’t think too much of it. You make the trash, the garbage service comes and takes it away, repeat.
Yet waste is a byproduct of life and is present in almost everything you do. It’s an unfortunate circumstance, but with a little bit of effort, the trash problem can slowly begin to subside. Part of that effort is knowing a little bit more about garbage, so here are some trash facts to get your gears turning.
- Recycling 2,000 pounds of cardboard can save more than nine cubic yards of space in a landfill.
- The average American person creates more than four pounds of garbage each day.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75% of the garbage in America is recyclable, yet only roughly 30% is actually recycled.
- An astounding 21.5 million tons of food waste is produced every year.
- Composting all of the food waste generated each year would reduce an amount of greenhouse gas which is equal to taking 2 million cars off of the road.
- The amount of paper recovered for recycling in America has increased by almost 100% since 1987.
- In 2003, Americans recycled over 49 million tons of paper, which amounted to more than 50% of all paper consumed in the country.
- In America, 87% of people have access to curbside pickup or drop-off paper recycling programs.
- Roughly 44% of junk mail received is never opened.
- Aluminum is a nonrenewable source, yet it can be recycled endlessly.
- A shocking 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour, equating to a staggering 22 billion plastic bottles each year.
- According to U.S. committees during the 2006 Ocean Conservancy’s Annual International Coast Cleanup, cigarette butts were the most littered item on sidewalks, roads, and beaches accounting for 35% of total waste collected.
- Americans create 251.3 million tons of trash every year.
While these facts may open your eyes to the extent of the trash problem in the United States, and in the world, they aren’t all-inclusive.
There are many more statistics about trash, recycling, and general waste production that can give you a better picture of what the world faces. So before you throw something away out of habit, check to see if it’s recyclable or contact your local curbside pickup service to find out more.
If you need to rent a dumpster, schedule a pickup, or find out how you can help reduce the planet’s trash, give us a call.
