Impact of recycling bins on America’s waste stream

Everyone knows that recycling is important, but the magnitude of what recycling can accomplish is stunning. In the U.S. alone nearly a third of waste – about 60 million tons — has been diverted from landfills through recycling efforts.

If you have not starting recycling at home or work, paper is a great place to start since it is the easiest and most prevalent material to recycle. Most municipalities in the U.S. provide some type of recycling program utilizing recycling bins.

You can get your family involved by seeing how much paper can be diverted from your trash can (and ultimately the landfill) by having a weekly contest to see who recycles the most. Begin with newspapers, cardboard packaging, or junk mail. If you are concerned about junk mail revealing too much of your personal information, shred it first – or better yet, go to the National Do Not Mail List and have it stopped.

Although great gains have been made in reducing the waste stream, the Discovery Channel, notes ramping up our efforts is not a bad idea.

And the recycling efforts can’t come fast enough. After all, landfill trash stays around for a very long time. That’s because landfills are designed to bury trash, not break it down. They are airtight, so oxygen and moisture do not break down the trash the same way they would in a dump.

Another big plus with paper is it can be reused up to seven times – so this small step can have a huge impact.

This past earth week, Today.com quizzed the audience about recycling diversion facts, including the effects of paper recycling.

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If you have students in your home and are looking for more resources on recycling and what it means to the earth, visit the student’s page on the EPA website. It offers games, activities and even has a extensive science fair booklet for middle schoolers.