How Much Junk Do Americans Toss Each Year?
Posted by Andy Greider on Wed, Oct 20, 2010 @ 12:22 PM
The numbers behind the amount of junk we toss may surprise you - we're throwing out more than 4 times what we were 40 years ago, on an every day basis. We are getting rid of an incredible amount of things that could be recycled - some 54% of recyclable materials still end up in the landfills. (Still, we do have an increase in recycling happening, but nowhere near enough.)
We are sending items to the landfills that take days (banana peels) to years (newspaper) to thousands of years (plastic bags) to "decompose." If you've ever been to the landfill, you know how many plastic bags are there - and how long it will take to dissolve. Scary facts to be sure. If the trends continue at their current pace, the landfills will soon be full - and new ones will need to be established. We can only keep that up for so long - and need to see a change in habits more than anything else.
Check out this video to get the full scope and scale of the issue - and when you're ready to do a mass cleanout of your own home - instead of just placing it on the curb (more or less ensuring it goes to the landfill), let justTRASHit help you donate the usable items, recycle what can be recycled and then throw out the rest in a safe and approved manner. We're available at 770 399 6605.