Did you know Americans create more than 250 million tons of trash each year? That’s nearly five pounds of municipal solid waste per person per day. Those are eye-catching statistics, and while it is natural to expect those numbers to grow exponentially in the years to come, we should also be doing a better job of recycling. Yes, plenty of what we throw away is, in fact, garbage. But more of it is recyclable than you might think.
The good news is that recycling education is increasing and reaching its intended audience, with responsible households and businesses stepping up to recycle as much as possible. Yet, while more Americans support the need to recycle metal, paper, cardboard, and more, the national average recycling rate is only 32%. Those numbers must improve—after all, trash of all types can take centuries to decompose in landfills worldwide. Environmental education teaches us to reduce this waste wherever possible, and the most effective way to do that is to understand the consequences and not to create it in the first place.
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