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According to this excellent Garbage exhibit from the Annenberg Foundation, the average American generates four pounds of solid trash per day, for a grand total of 1,460 pounds per year. Americans are the number one global trash offenders. Every day, we dispose of approximately 200 million tons of the stuff. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled, leaving the rest for land fills and incinerators. The Environmental Protection Agency hosts this handy little fact sheet that offers a summary of the solid waste scene. The good news is that we recycled 64 million tons of material in 1999, which is up significantly from 34 million tons in 1990. The most
commonly recycled material in the United States? Car batteries. We still have a long way to go, however. Although Americans represent roughly 5% of the world's population, we generate 40% of its waste. For some suggestions on how to take advantage of the average American's wasteful ways for fun and profit, check out Yahoo!'s Dumpster Diving category.
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