October 11, 2022
Have you ever considered the importance of recycling? Of course, there are the logical reasons for recycling. You don’t want the chemicals from a battery getting into the groundwater, air, or soil. Another aspect, and it’s one that most people don’t stop to think about, is how long it takes these common materials to break […]
September 5, 2022
You keep hearing about a circular economy, but you’re not sure what it is. A circular economy is best summed up as an economy where consumers, communities, and manufacturers work together to reduce waste by reusing recyclable materials.How a Circular Economy WorksTake a closer look at exactly what happens with a circular economy. Start with […]
August 22, 2022
A stunning 292.4 million tons of waste was generated in 2018, which breaks down to almost 5 pounds per person every day. Of that waste, 94 million tons were recycled or composted. What happens to the rest?Over 146 million tons end up in landfills.About 35 million tons is burned to create a source of energy.The […]
January 3, 2022
Based on current estimates, consumers will have generated around 57.4 million tons of e-waste by the end of the year. The COVID pandemic is believed to be behind the increase. While people upgraded their phones, tablets, and computers this year, only a little more than 17% is expected to get recycled correctly. Improperly recycled e-waste […]
September 7, 2021
During 2018 and 2019, researchers from the University of Missouri and the University of Bologna (Italy) took time to find out how much waste was being generated during school lunches. Upwards of 53% of the foods in a school lunch were ending up in the trash. Compare this to 30% in Spain, 29% in Italy, […]
August 9, 2021
California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Bill (SB 1383) goes into effect in 2022. One of the most significant changes will be the requirement for food scraps and edible food waste to be composted instead of thrown away. Starting on January 1, 2022, food scraps, yard trimmings, and other forms of organic waste will be collected through curbside […]
July 13, 2021
Almost 5 pounds of waste is generated by one person every day in the U.S. That’s more than 292 million tons per year. Of that waste, about 69 million tons were recycled correctly, and about 25 million tons of food waste was composted. That still left around 198 million tons going to landfills.In the 2006 […]
May 18, 2021
It’s easy to recycle cardboard and paper, but people don’t always understand the process. When you recycle paper, what happens to it? Tossing empty boxes, cereal boxes, greeting cards, egg cartons, mail, and printer paper into a curbside bin takes little time. Bills that have confidential information are often shredded first by the resident. The shredded […]
May 2, 2021
Vermont became the first state to mandate composting of food scraps. While this was the first state-wide mandate, there are cities across the U.S. that have also discussed or implemented laws requiring food waste to go into composters instead of the trash. California is set to start its mandatory food waste composting requirement in 2022. You’ve […]
January 29, 2021
Containers and packaging make up the bulk of the recyclables your household generates. Between 2000 and 2018, the amounts generated increased from 75.84 million tons to 82.22 million tons. The good news is that the tonnage recycled increased from approximately 38% to 53.8%.There’s still room for improvement. In 2000, 37.86 million tons of packaging and […]