This is EPA data for what Americans discarded as municipal solid waste in 2010. Recycling is not considered in this graphic, just total generation of waste (250 million tons). A picture is worth 1000 words, so you can see some of the wasteful habits here. Although 28.5% of waste is paper, not all of it is recycled. The same holds true for food scraps. In the next few days recycling data will be posted here to show exactly where recycling efforts could be made relatively easy.
Published by Salman Zafar
Salman Zafar is the CEO of BioEnergy Consult, and an international consultant, advisor and trainer with expertise in waste management, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, environment protection and resource conservation. His geographical areas of focus include Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biogas technology, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. Salman has participated in numerous national and international conferences all over the world. He is a prolific environmental journalist, and has authored more than 300 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. In addition, he is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability through his blogs and portals. Salman can be reached at salman@bioenergyconsult.com or salman@cleantechloops.com. View all posts by Salman Zafar