11.15.2008 4:56 AM
It's America Recycles Day
What's Your Personal Recycling Rate?
Today is the 11th annual America Recycles Day - so go recycle something.
The Environmental Protection Agency is challenging everyone in America to recycle more. We'll second that challenge.
Americans recycled and composted 85 million tons of solid waste in 2007, according to the latest EPA stats. That sounds like a staggering figure, and it is. Recycling that material saved the energy-equivalent of 10.7 billion gallons of gasoline, and prevented as much greenhouse gas pollution as would come from 35 million cars, SUVs and trucks.
Recycling is a $200 billion industry and employs more than 1 million Americans.
But it's only one-third of all garbage produced, meaning nearly 170 million tons of solid waste is buried in landfills or incinerated every year - resulting in a staggering amount of energy wasted, and pollution produced.
On a personal level, the average American produces a depressing 4.6 pounds of trash every day.
Do you recycle everything you can?
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