For the majority of history, reusing or recycling was the way most materials were made. It has been in recent history that our technology has been advanced enough to make it cheaper to throw something away than reuse or recycle it. Certain materials, such as metal, were collected and recycled for never ending reuse. It was the landfill crisis that brought recycling back to our attention. During the 1980’s about 3,000 landfills were closed. The crisis peaked with the trash barge, Mobro 4000, at sea for days being rejected from dumping its garbage all along the eastern seaboard. This incident jumpstarted the recycling movement, where now almost every American city has recycling. While the Mobro 4000 helped make recycling prevalent, the first recycling mill was built in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania in 1972. The first city to mandate recycling was Woodbury, New Jersey.
As technology has progress, so has recycling. As of 2012, the United States recycling rate was 47%, about 12% of that was combusted for energy. In the last forty years the recycling rate has increased from 6%. Organic materials such as paper, grass clippings, and food waste make up roughly 50% of all household garbage. By product category, containers and packaging make up the largest amount at 30 percent. There has been a steady decline in the total amount of garbage going to the landfill, from 145 million tons in 1990 to 135 million tons in 2012.
Community composting programs have declined from 3,227 in 2002 to 3,120 in 2012. Recycling helps to take trash out of the landfill, but it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of trash recycled in 2012 provided a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 168 million metric tons. This is comparable to taking over 33 million cars off the road in one year. Another good thing about recycling is that it has allowed our standard of living to increase without increasing the amount of trash we produce. This will be helpful in the upcoming years as more people throughout the world are getting the same standard of li ving that Americans enjoy.
Not only does recycling contribute to helping the environment, it also helps out the economy and creates jobs. In 2012, the least recycled material was plastic containers. JBI, Inc., based in Niagara Falls, NY, is a clean energy company that recycles plastic by converting it to crude oil, fuels, or synthetic gas. Since 2011, JBI has processed approximately 2.8 million pounds of plastic and converted it into roughly 482,000 gallons of fuel. This growing industry has an $8.9 billion annual economic impact by oil production, employment, and supply chain industries.
Another company that has taken an innovative approach to recycling is Terracycle. In 2001, Terracycle started by selling liquid fertilizer made from food waste processed by worms. Even the packaging for the liquid fertilizer was used plastic bottles. The company has grown to also upcycling. It makes pencil cases and backpacks from used drink pouches. If it cannot upcycle the plastic, it will recycle it into plastic flower pots, lumber, pavers, or garbage cans. The company has teamed up with different groups. The group collects specific waste materials and Terracycle will make a donation to a school or charity.
Recycling has come a long way, and the future looks better. A 50% recycling rate is great but it can be better. One example is the country of Sweden. In 1975 their recycling rate was 38% and it has increased to where it now is at 99% of all household waste. One of the ways that they achieved this is by combusting their trash and turning it into energy. About 50% of all the trash is burnt because trash is a cheap fuel. Sweden imports 700,000 tons of trash from other countries. They even recycle the ash. The remaining ashes are weigh roughly 15% of the original trash. It is sifted to extract the metals to be recycles and the gravel to be reused in road construction. About 1% of the original material remains and goes to a landfill. Sweden has used this recycled electricity to fuel some of its garbage trucks. Sweden is trying to find ways to reuse or recycle more instead of burning the trash because it takes less money to reuse instead of burning one and making another from scratch. Currently the United States only combusts 12% of our waste for energy.
Another way that we are stepping up to recycle more efficiently is before the product is even born, during the design phase. An example of this is the automotive industry. Currently about 75% of the vehicle is recycled from metal recovery. The other components are disposed because of the high costs of dismantling and logistics. Engineers are now designing for end of life recycling. Some of the ways they are doing this is by limiting the diversity of materials, reductions in the number of fastening points, use of quick-release fastners, and improvements in access to fastening points. These small changes in the beginning of the products life helps make it easier to recycle or reuse at the end of a products life.
Please send us comments on the different ways you recycle or reuse products. Also let us know if you have any ideas about how the United States can achieve 100% recycling or reusing.
As technology has progress, so has recycling. As of 2012, the United States recycling rate was 47%, about 12% of that was combusted for energy. In the last forty years the recycling rate has increased from 6%. Organic materials such as paper, grass clippings, and food waste make up roughly 50% of all household garbage. By product category, containers and packaging make up the largest amount at 30 percent. There has been a steady decline in the total amount of garbage going to the landfill, from 145 million tons in 1990 to 135 million tons in 2012.
Community composting programs have declined from 3,227 in 2002 to 3,120 in 2012. Recycling helps to take trash out of the landfill, but it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of trash recycled in 2012 provided a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 168 million metric tons. This is comparable to taking over 33 million cars off the road in one year. Another good thing about recycling is that it has allowed our standard of living to increase without increasing the amount of trash we produce. This will be helpful in the upcoming years as more people throughout the world are getting the same standard of li ving that Americans enjoy.
Not only does recycling contribute to helping the environment, it also helps out the economy and creates jobs. In 2012, the least recycled material was plastic containers. JBI, Inc., based in Niagara Falls, NY, is a clean energy company that recycles plastic by converting it to crude oil, fuels, or synthetic gas. Since 2011, JBI has processed approximately 2.8 million pounds of plastic and converted it into roughly 482,000 gallons of fuel. This growing industry has an $8.9 billion annual economic impact by oil production, employment, and supply chain industries.
Another company that has taken an innovative approach to recycling is Terracycle. In 2001, Terracycle started by selling liquid fertilizer made from food waste processed by worms. Even the packaging for the liquid fertilizer was used plastic bottles. The company has grown to also upcycling. It makes pencil cases and backpacks from used drink pouches. If it cannot upcycle the plastic, it will recycle it into plastic flower pots, lumber, pavers, or garbage cans. The company has teamed up with different groups. The group collects specific waste materials and Terracycle will make a donation to a school or charity.
Recycling has come a long way, and the future looks better. A 50% recycling rate is great but it can be better. One example is the country of Sweden. In 1975 their recycling rate was 38% and it has increased to where it now is at 99% of all household waste. One of the ways that they achieved this is by combusting their trash and turning it into energy. About 50% of all the trash is burnt because trash is a cheap fuel. Sweden imports 700,000 tons of trash from other countries. They even recycle the ash. The remaining ashes are weigh roughly 15% of the original trash. It is sifted to extract the metals to be recycles and the gravel to be reused in road construction. About 1% of the original material remains and goes to a landfill. Sweden has used this recycled electricity to fuel some of its garbage trucks. Sweden is trying to find ways to reuse or recycle more instead of burning the trash because it takes less money to reuse instead of burning one and making another from scratch. Currently the United States only combusts 12% of our waste for energy.
Another way that we are stepping up to recycle more efficiently is before the product is even born, during the design phase. An example of this is the automotive industry. Currently about 75% of the vehicle is recycled from metal recovery. The other components are disposed because of the high costs of dismantling and logistics. Engineers are now designing for end of life recycling. Some of the ways they are doing this is by limiting the diversity of materials, reductions in the number of fastening points, use of quick-release fastners, and improvements in access to fastening points. These small changes in the beginning of the products life helps make it easier to recycle or reuse at the end of a products life.
Please send us comments on the different ways you recycle or reuse products. Also let us know if you have any ideas about how the United States can achieve 100% recycling or reusing.