Americans currently discard about 2.7 million tons of aluminum each year and only about 50% is recycled.ĭid you know that car batteries are the most recycled product in America? They aren’t the only type of battery that you can recycle. You can recycle those soup cans, soda cans, and even aluminum foil! Make sure to clean off any food particles before you toss it in the recycle bin. You may have jam jars, dressing containers, or drink bottles that can all be rinsed and recycled. Now, it presents an opportunity for additional growth.
That number slowly increased to 26% in 2015. Only 1% of glass in the United States was recycled in 1970. Plastic places an added stressor on landfills as it can take anywhere from five to 600 years to break down. Back in 1970 less than 1% of plastic waste was recycled, and that number 45 years later was only 9%. Progress on plastic recycling has been slow in the United States. Make sure to keep magazines, cardboard boxes, and mail out of the trash. This is an upward trend that can continue to improve. The most common recyclables include paper, batteries, plastics, and glass.Īccording to the latest data from the EPA, paper products make up the largest percentage (26%) of all waste materials in the United States. There are few materials that cannot be recycled. Knowing your recycling options can reduce stress and increase the likelihood of follow-through.
Enter the item you’d like to recycle and your zip code to find nearby drop-off centers. You may also want to browse the most extensive recycling database in North America. Are there any specifics that would prevent your items from being recycled?.Do you need to schedule a special pickup (e-waste or metals)?.Your home will be based on local city regulations.Ĭheck with their recycling department to find out things like: There are a number of places that you can set-up for easy recycling. Each city has their own regulations and processes for recycling. That means knowing where and what to recycle. The main barrier to recycling is understanding the process. As the County of Arlington Virginia Trash and Recycling site says, “Recyclables are collected locally, but impacted globally.” How to Recycle We can all make a difference by practicing proper recycling. A study in 2016 found that recycling and reuse activities in the United States accounted for 757,000 jobs.
Recycling also helps create well-paying jobs. Not to mention, it helps keep wildlife safe. Energy is saved during the manufacturing process. Materials and natural resources aren’t wasted. When you transform something old into something new, it benefits the environment in a number of ways. Why should we recycle? It’s a fairly simple concept. This resource should help get you started so that you can recycle at work, home, and school. While the progress is promising, we still have a long way to go. The recycling rate in the United States has increased from less than 7% in 1960 to over 34% in 2015.