Beyond Paper and Aluminum: Things you didn't know you can recycle
The conservation has undoubtedly impacted every aspect of American life, including the way people spend their money. The shrinking retail sales may be a state-all about a reduction in consumerism — whether by necessity or because it’s trendy — but there’s one other number that may say America’s love for “stuff” is changing. For the past few years, the amount of debris generated nationwide has been decreasing: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, between 2007 and 2009 (the last year at one's fingertips), municipal solid waste (a.k.a. garbage) generation went from 255 million tons to 243 million.
Still, taking into consideration that amount is double that of four or five decades ago, it’s easy to understand the efforts to promote and encourage recycling. Consumers, of seminar, are complying, recovering about 34 percent of materials nationwide (from less than 10 percent 30 years ago). But while assignment recycling has become second nature (and 64 percent of it is diverted from the landfill), a growing number of people are looking for ways to recycle divers other things that usually go into the trash, from candy wrappers and Ziplock bags to potato chip bags and Elmer’s paste sticks.
