American Recycling Habits
In the past forty years, recycling has been promoted as an integral part of waste management policy across the United States. Some recent statistics show that Americans have taken that waste management approach to heart and have adjusted their recycling habits accordingly.
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The note on the table said "Generation before materials recovery or combustion. Does not include construction & demolition debris, industrial process wastes, or certain other wastes." These numbers are also before any recycling figures are counted.
Materials Generated in the Municipal Waste Stream 1960-20001960 Paper 34.0%, Yard Trimmings 22.7%, Food Scraps 13.8%, (70.5% of total MSW)
1970 Paper 36.6%, Yard Trimmings 19.2%, Metals 11.4% (67.2% of total MSW)
1980 Paper 36.4%, Yard Trimmings 18.1%, Metals 10.2% (64.7% of total MSW)
1990 Paper 35.4%, Yard Trimmings 17.1%, Food Scraps 10.1% (62.6% of total MSW)
2000 Paper 37.5%, Yard Trimmings 11.8%, Food Scraps 11.3%, (60.6% of total MSW)
Source: EPA. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2003.
The statistics show very little changes in American waste production habits over the course of a couple of generations. Between the years 1960 and 2000 the average amount of garbage generated by families and business consisted primarily of paper and paperboard products and yard trimmings. Food scraps and metals (ferrous and nonferrous metals including aluminum cans and iron, steel and other metals in goods like appliances) have waged a battle over the number three place in waste generation. Taken together, the top three categories constitute anywhere from 70.5% to 60.6% of the total waste stream.
While American waste generation habits have remained steady over time, American recycling habits have changed to keep pace with them. The next set of figures show the top three recycling categories over that same forty year time span. The note on how the term recovery is measured says, "Recovery of post consumer wastes; does not include converting/fabrication scrap." The trends pretty much show that Americans have set their sights on improving their recycling rates for the categories that traditionally produce the highest amount of garbage.
Recovery of Municipal Solid Waste (1960-2000)
1960 Rubber and Leather 17.9%, Paper 16.9%, Textiles 2.8%
1970 Paper 15.3%, Rubber and Leather 8.4%, Metals 3.5%
1980 Paper 21.3%, Metals 7.9%, Textiles 6.3%
1990 Paper 27.8%, Metals 24.0%, Glass 20.1%
2000 Yard Trimmings 56.9%, Paper 42.8%, Metals 35.9%
Source: EPA. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2003.
Paper and paperboard has consistently generated the highest percentage of total garbage in the waste stream in the past forty years. During that same time, paper and paperboard recycling efforts have always occupied either the first or second place in American recycling habits. Between 1960 and 2000 paper and paperboard recycling rates have increased from 16.9% to 42.8%.
Yard trimmings consistently comprise the second most generated type of waste across the United States between 1960 and 2000. A revolution of sorts in American yard care started happening in the 1990s. More people were recycling or composting their yard trimmings. By 2000, 56.9% of all the yard trimmings generated in the country were recycled, making it the top recycling category.
Finally, the metals category has consistently been a top waste producer in the United States. American recycling habits also followed that waste stream closely. Between 1970-2000, overall metal recycling rates increased from 3.5% to 35.9%.
© 2006. Patricia A. Michaels