If only the average American could be a fly on the wall when recycling center employees sift through literally tons of the recycled materials processed every day. If they could, maybe they would see for themselves the many consumer recycling mistakes that take place. They may also see why experts say not everything is recyclable and that it is better to do your research before tossing oddball items into the same recycling bin. The Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent statistics show that Americans produced 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2018 alone, or 4.9 pounds per person per day. And while the EPA estimates that most of those items are recyclable, there is plenty of aspirational recycling going on.

We’ve been in the recycling business for more than 30 years, and it never gets old seeing positive changes taking place in our industry and each community’s attitudes toward recycling and sustainability. Don’t get us wrong; we still have a long way to go when it comes to protecting our planet. But it’s exciting that the next generation of recyclers is already making an indelible mark on what could be in the not-so-distant future.