Did you know that the average American throws away around 4.5 pounds of trash every day? And that’s just the average! That number is probably even higher for people who live in cities. The sad truth is that a lot of this trash ends up littering our roadsides, clogging our waterways, and polluting our oceans.
In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at America’s top ten most commonly thrown away items. Hopefully this information will help us all become more aware of the litter problem in our country, and inspire us to do something about it!
How much garbage does the United States produce?
The United States generates a lot of garbage. In fact, we generate more than any other country in the world! We produce about 250 million tons of trash every year. That’s enough to fill up nearly 900,000 garbage trucks! And if we lined up all those garbage trucks end to end, they would stretch from New York City all the way to Los Angeles!
So what exactly is all this garbage? Well, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 35% of it is paper and cardboard. Another 12% is yard waste, like leaves and grass clippings. And another 11% is food scraps. The rest is made up of things like plastics, metals, glass, and textiles.
What happens to trash when not properly disposed of?
Sadly, a lot of this trash ends up littering our roadsides, clogging our waterways, and polluting our oceans. In fact, it’s estimated that there are more than five trillion pieces of plastic litter in the world’s oceans! That’s enough to fill up more than 500 shipping containers!
What items are thrown away the most?
So what are the most commonly thrown away items in the United States? While the items might vary from city to city depending on where you live and your lifestyle, you’ll likely find similar items in your own trash bin.
Here’s a list of the top ten items, according to the EPA:
– Paper and cardboard
– Yard waste
– Food scraps
– Plastics
– Metals
– Glass
– Textiles
– Animal waste
– Hazardous waste
– Electronic waste
Reduce your personal waste
So what can we do to reduce our personal household waste? Here are a few suggestions:
– Recycle paper, cardboard, glass, and metal.
– Compost food scraps and yard waste.
– Reduce your use of plastic bags, straws, and other disposable items.
– Repair or donate broken electronics instead of throwing them away.
– Properly dispose of hazardous materials like paint and batteries.
By following these simple tips, we can all help reduce the litter problem in our country! Let’s all do our part to keep America clean! Hopefully this information will help us all become more aware of the litter problem in our country, and inspire us to do something about it! Remember, every little bit helps! Together, we can make a difference!
Contact us for more information about what happens to your trash in Northern Nevada!
