By the numbers, here is where the United States stands in its recycling effort. Not the best, not the worst.
Just making a quick assessment based on these digits — maybe the U.S. has earned a C (with a curve applied, perhaps).
Good job, Austria. Pick up the pace, Greece. And let’s all keep plugging away. The numbers may be lower than some of us would like, but they register continuing increases. Americans are recycling more than ever before; we’re on an up-swing.
251 million – tons of trash in the United States
82 million – tons of materials recycled in the United States
53.4 – percentage of all paper products recycled in the United States
32.5 – percentage of total waste that is recycled in the United States
100 – approximate percentage of increase in total recycling in the United States during the past decade
60 – approximate amount of total recycling in Austria, the leading recycler in the European Union
10 – percentage of total recycling in Greece
8,660 – number of curbside recycling programs in the United States in 2006
8,875 – number of curbside recycling programs in the United States in 2003
6 – weeks it takes to manufacture, fill, sell, recycle and re-manufacture an aluminum beverage can
95 – percentage of energy saved by recycling an aluminum can, compared with manufacturing a new one
4.6 – pounds of trash per person per day in the United States (most in the world)
1.5 – pounds of recycled materials per person per day in the United States
Related posts:
Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Your Way to Lower Overhead
What Do You Do About the Waste? Recycle and Reuse.
Mini Extreme Recycling: What Are You Doing?
Recycling Soon to Be Mandatory in San Francisco
Sources:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Municipal Solid Waste Generation Statistics and Figures
United States Recycling Statistics (Green Living)
Garbage Statistics and Studies – LaPorte County (Ind.) Solid Waste District
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Can you tell me if these are annual statistics? In other words, does this mean there are 251 tons of trash in the US every year?
@Valarie — the number 251 million tons of trash is for one year, not necessarily every year.
looking at the “United States Recycling Statistics (Green Living)” link under Sources above, the number given for 2005 was 246 million tons, and it was 248 million tons of trash in 2004.
your link to the EPA does not work. Can you please post a working link? -Thanks
It doesn’t tell you what the good, the bad, or the ugly is of recycling!! It’s filled with statistics but nothing else.
I think that the numbers are shocking. Recycling should not be a choice. Why should doing the right thing by reusing something be a choice? Well I think that non-recyclers are conceited. I’m not judging them all but when they say that recyclers just recycle to feel good- so what? As long as it helps the planet and supports the cause what does it matter? The main and only reason people don’t recycle is because of laziness. Which doesn’t make sense because it is the same process as throwing your trash away, putting it in a bin. I hope this changes at least one person’s non-recycling habbits.
Most people shudder at the thought of this