Sep

Long before the Green Movement, Americans have been encouraged to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycling bins began to make their appearance throughout schools, offices, and homes decades ago. Teacher encouraged young children to separate and recycle their trash as well as color between the lines, but has all this education and encouragement paid off in the long run? Are things better today than they were in years past? Are Americans recycling more? Have all these initiatives and education programs really made a difference?

The answer is most assuredly, yes, but it is a qualified yes. Americans are recycling more than they were in years past. In 1980, only 10% of all municipal garbage was recycled. In 2005, that rate was up to 32% according to the US General Accounting Office. Unfortunately, the amount of municipal garbage has grown by 60%. That is almost 246 million tons of garbage produced every year. While a larger percentage of America’s trash is being recycled, Americans are negating those gains by producing even more trash. This news might be disheartening to some, but it is important to remain positive and look for the silver lining. Imagine the amount of trash that would make it into the landfills if Americans were not recycling at the rate they are. There is certainly cause for good cheer among the pro recycling crowd.

• 63.4% of all paper products in the United States were recycled in 2009. This number includes soiled paper products that cannot be recycled. Subtracting materials that are unable to be recycled would obviously increase the rate.

• 99% of all lead acid batteries are being recovered and recycled. This is outstanding!

• 48.2% of all metal cans were recycled in 2008

• In total over 7 million tons of metal was recycled in 2008. This alone, in terms of carbon monoxide reduction, is the equivalent of removing over 4.5 million cars from the road for a period of one year.

These are just a few encouraging statistics, but now is not the time for Americans to rest on their laurels. There is still much to be done. Two major issues have become apparent in recent years. Changes in consumer habits have created new issues within American’s landfills that did not exist 30 years ago.

Bottled water was virtually unheard of in the 1980s, but now, bottled water has its own section in every grocery and convenience store. The demand for bottled water more than doubled between the years of 1997 and 2007. In 2007, the average American consumed 29.3 gallons of bottled water. The growing demand for bottled water has lead to an increased demand for PET plastics. Plastics have always lagged behind paper in terms of amount recycled. Some studies show that over 41% of the plastics found in landfills come from bottled water. These plastics will outlast virtually every other material found in a landfill. Plastics that are not exposed to direct sunlight can take thousands of years to decompose.

The other area of concern stems from Americans fascination with the latest and greatest technological toy. Electronics are rarely recycled. In 2007, an estimated 2.25 million tons of electronic devices fell into disused. Of those 2.25 million tons, 82 percent found their way into a landfill. Only ten percent of cell phones are ever recycled. Electronic devices when recycled can render many hard to find minerals such as gold, copper, silver, and palladium. It is sad that all these valuable resources are going to waste in a landfill. If Americans insist on continuing this pattern of consumption regarding electronics, they must realize that these items can and should be recycled.

Recycling has made marked gains with the United States over the past thirty years, but there is still the opportunity for growth. Americans can do better. The environmental problems that face America today are primarily those of consumption. The reduce part of the three Rs is just as important as reuse and recycle. Given past history, Americans, once properly educated, will rise to the challenge.

Visit Earthsavers for more information on residential and commercial recycling in Nashville and across Middle Tennessee.