September 24, 2025
Every year, every American throws away an average of five pounds of trash and sometimes recyclables. Of the 292.4 million tons thrown out in 2018, only 94 million tons were recycled or composted. It’s not enough, and part of the problem is that some items that aren’t easily recycled end up in the trash.Have you […]
September 16, 2025
Edward Carpenter discovered microplastics back in 1972, but they didn’t become known as microplastics for 32 years. A team led by Professor Richard Thompson studied the long-term accumulation of these tiny plastic particles in the oceans in 2004. Since then, microplastics have been of growing concern as they’re found in everything from the fish we […]
September 9, 2025
We love festivals as much as anyone, but there is another side that people don’t think of. They create so much trash – over 53,000 tons each year. Coachella alone is estimated to have produced over 1,763 tons.Of the waste that’s produced, very little of it is recycled properly. Again, Coachella’s waste estimates show that […]
August 27, 2025
Earth.org reports that 11.3 million tons of textile waste are sent to landfills every year. The average person throws out 81.5 pounds of clothing each year. That’s just the U.S.Over 100 million tons of worldwide textile waste is trashed each year. That waste ends up in landfills around the world, equating to about one garbage […]
August 18, 2025
Wishcycling is a problem in the recycling industry, and it drives up costs and increases work for recycling professionals. A Republic Services study found that 73 out of 100 people believed they were recycling experts. Yet, 61% of them were unable to correctly choose items that were not recyclable.When you wishcycle, you recycle items that […]
August 6, 2025
Recycling may seem like a modern household practice, but it goes back to the 1800s when people would patch worn clothing or take fabric scraps to make new things. Ragmen went from door to door collecting fabric scraps to use in paper manufacturing. During WWII, families were asked to donate their scrap metal, paper, rags, […]
July 28, 2025
The EPA reports that each American generates about 4.9 pounds of municipal solid waste (MSW) each day. In one week, you’ve generated about 35 pounds of trash and recyclables. Consider that amount over a month or a year. It’s so much, and it’s overwhelming the nation’s landfills.The Realities of MSWHere’s a scary fact: recyclables often […]
July 21, 2025
Have you come across refill stores? Bring your reusable bottles and fill them from the store’s selection of cleaning products, shampoos, conditioners, and other skin care items. While stores aren’t found in every area, refill stores are appearing in more areas.Why use refillable household products? It lowers the amount of single-use plastic you consume. The […]
July 9, 2025
During WWII, plastic appeared as a “material with 1,000 uses.” Fast forward to today, when global production of plastic has surpassed 359 million tons. While plastic has been helpful in many areas, it’s also created problems within the environment. Microscopic particles of plastic are in the soil, air, and water. They’re in animals, fish, and […]
June 23, 2025
Here are the sad facts. Using the EPA’s last statistics for recycling, 292.4 million tons of materials were generated in 2018. That’s almost five pounds of waste per person every day. Of that, only 69 million tons were properly recycled and 25 million tons were composted. That’s only 32.1% that was recycled.There is so much […]
