The benefits of recycling go far beyond simply reducing the amount of trash we send to the landfill every year.  Recycling is an entire industry that creates jobs for Americans and can add to market competition.  By reusing old products in a new way, limited natural resources don’t have to be expended to create as many new products.  Along with the raw materials used in the creation of new products, comes the greenhouse gases that are emitted in production, which is contributing to the problem of global warming.  There are many ways to recycle beyond the traditional methods of recycling bottles and cans.  When you decide it’s time for a new computer or printer, instead of throwing it away, where it could end up leaching hazardous material into the soil of a landfill, donate or resell it.  Sites such as freecycle, Craigslist, and recycle.net are great places to unload old electronics in a less wasteful way.  Old tires can also be recycled and used for fuel, in certain types of asphalt or in other new rubber products.  Many kitchen items such as foil wrappers, Ziploc bags and metal soup cans can also be recycled and reused for a number of purposes.

While waste-to-energy plants are growing rapidly throughout Europe, there is no production or even plans for production in the US. Instead, we continue to rely on landfills to store our millions of tons of trash. Why hasn’t America jumped on this opportunity to decrease landfill use AND create clean alternate renewable energy? According to Matt Hall, director of the Office of Resource Conservation of the EPA, it is because of the abundance of cheap landfills available,  opposition from state officials who fear the plants would undercut recycling programs, and a ‘negative public perception’.  It seems environmental activists would rather push for zero waste and more recycling than for practical disposal of waste. Other reasons include the ‘not in my backyard’ response…no one wants a massive trash burning plant in their community.

Overall, it appears America is being fiscally and environmentally irresponsible by not latching on to this trash as energy trend.  Though some of the reasons stated for NOT engaging in production of waste to energy plants are valid, others are quite frankly immature. If you can’t stand to look at a plant that is bettering the environment, how are you going to stand to look at a world covered in trash when the landfills overflow?

1. The process should start at your purchase decision not when you are disposing of old items.  A lot of similar products, both in price and function, are packaged very differently. Unless the packaging itself has some sort of intrinsic value you will want to hold on to as a keepsake, choose the one with the least packaging. Once your purchase is unwrapped, the box or bag it came in is more than likely to end up in the bin anyway.
2. A lot of grocery stores now offer re-usable bags, giving you an environmentally sound option when asked “paper or plastic?”  Both paper and plastic bags require valuable natural resources for their production, so any way you can cut down on their usage is a step in the right direction.
3. When you do end up with plastic bags, because it is inevitable even the most environmentally conscious consumers will, use them in place of plastic trash bags.  Department store and convenience store carry-out bags can easily line a trashcan and can be disposed of in the same manner as well.
4. Just because an item is labeled as “disposable,” it doesn’t mean it has to be thrown away.  When possible, avoid tossing plastic cups, bowls and utensils after only a single use.  A lot of time these items can be hand washed or re-used as is to increase their lifespan, not bombarding Mother Nature on such a regular basis.

• The average person creates 4.39 lbs of trash per day and up to 56 tons of trash per year.
• Only about one-tenth of all solid garbage in the US gets recycled
• Every year we fill enough garbage trucks to form a line that would stretch from the earth halfway to the moon (63,000 trucks per day)
• Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.

So, we make a lot of trash. What do we do with it all? Here are some disturbing landfill stats:

• Only 2 manmade structures on earth are large enough to be seen from space: the Great Wall of China and the Fresh Kills Landfill (which is now a recreational park)
• Barges deliver over 14,000 tons of NYC trash to landfills every day

Thankfully, recycling efforts are greatly improving and massive amounts of municipal solid waste are being removed before reaching landfills to be recycled. While there is still a lot of room for improvement, Americans are doing an overall good job recycling from their homes. For more information on US waste and recycling, visit the official site of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Compost is created when aerobic microbes such as fungi and bacteria digest and breakdown the wastes that are thrown in a pile.   Some people express concern that a compost pile full of old food and waste will create an undesirable smell.  This is easily avoided by ensuring there are air spaces in your compost so only aerobic microbes do the work and not anaerobic microbes, which produce the horrible stench of rotting trash.  Aerobic microbes also decompose waste faster, another reason to allow plenty of air into your compost.  A successful compost pile must contain the right amount of moisture.  If it becomes too wet or too dry, the composting process can be slowed significantly.  It is very important to combine a good mixture of materials to your compost.  Items such as fruit and vegetables and fresh grass are classifies as “green” materials.  Other wastes such as sawdust and dry leaves are referred to as “brown” materials.  Because green compost items contain more moisture than brown materials, a good balance of these two types helps to create a healthy amount of moisture.  It usually only takes a month or two for your pile of waste to be turned into rich, healthy compost.  When you can no longer see any of the original items from the pile, you have usable compost.

A final consideration before starting your very own compost pile is how to contain it.  You can either have an open pile that is not contained or a bin or fenced off area for composting.  Personally, I would recommend a compost bin for the many advantages it provides.  Unwanted pests such as raccoons and possums cannot get inside a bin as easily.  It is also less noticeable than a heaping pile of waste in your yard and can be mixed up by simply dumping it into another bin.

Set your big goals—help reduce global warming, make the world a cleaner and greener place—and act on your goals in your community. In fact, there are many ways to go about making a difference right from your household.  The best way to go green in your home is by following the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle. Cut back on the amount of trash you use (reduce), save things that can be used for later (reuse), and use a separate container for paper, plastic, and glass trash that can be picked up by a local recycler . Then, once your family household has reduced reused and recycled its way to an environmentally friendly level, start spreading the green in your community. Set out recycle bins at local venues lacking them, volunteer with your local recycling company, and bring the three R’s with you to the workplace. Businesses go through tons of paper weekly, and often don’t take the time to properly dispose of it.

If you feel like the weight of the world’s problems are too much for you to handle, chances are there are local environmental groups in your area that would love for you to join them. A simple Google search will provide you with a multitude of options that will allow you to link with networks of other activists trying to achieve the same goals as you. Together, you can reduce the waste levels in your community and help reach your global goals one recycling bin at a time.