Curbside Recycling Facts
Local U.S. governments promote curbside recycling to reduce the amount of waste that goes into already crowded landfills. Curbside recycling is also promoted a way to improve the environment, although specific processes are left to different districts to decide.
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The Big Five
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Although the materials that can be recycled curbside vary from region to region in the U.S., there are five elements that are usually included. They are aluminum, glass, paper, plastic and steel.
Options
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There are several kinds of curbside recycling in the United States: dual-stream recycling, single-stream recycling and pay-as-you-throw recycling. Dual-stream recycling involves separating papers and containers and putting each in separate bins. Single-stream recycling is when households do not have to separate their materials, and they all go in one recycling bin to be picked up and sorted later. The pay-as-you-throw system requires households to pay for trash bags, which in turn encourages them to cut back on creating waste and recycling more.
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Trivia
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The first official recycling program in the U.S. was introduced in the 1890s in New York City, while the city's first recycling plant was constructed in 1898. The U.S. Produces the most trash in the world with more than 1,500 pounds per person annually, according to the website for the Curbside Value Partnership. This means only 5 percent of the world's people are generating 40 percent of the world's total amount of waste.
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References
- Photo Credit Recycling image by Riccardo from Fotolia.com
