Americans create more than 200 million tons of trash each year. Everywhere you look there are services, programs, and educational promotions pushing the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling as much of that waste stream as possible. Common recyclable items include paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminum and steel cans, textile and fabric materials, and electronics. It would be great to recycle our planet to zero waste. But how do we find out exactly what can be recycled? Are there unique items we are throwing away because the public doesn’t know that they are recyclable?

Contaminated Cardboard Recycling: Don’t Make It Your Fault

As a society, we deserve some credit. Recycling efforts across the country are increasing. Additionally, we are doing more plastic, paper, metal, and cardboard recycling than ever before. The recycling rate in the United States was less than seven percent in 1960 and is currently 32 percent! By increasing our recycling efforts, we are not only helping our environment, but also creating jobs and supporting community development.

Can we do even better? The short answer is yes, but not only in the way you might think.

The holiday season is here! For many of us, it’s our favorite time of year. But did you know that up to 25% more waste is generated during this season than at any other time of the year? All of that buying, wrapping, and celebrating produces extra trash that often ends up in landfills. However, there are opportunities to be more sustainable during the holiday season. The environmentally friendly actions we take every day are important to continue during the holidays. This year, extend the holiday spirit to helping the environment by giving sustainable holiday gifts to friends and family.

An Eco-Friendly Holiday Reduces Holiday Waste

We don’t know about you, but once Fall begins we start to think about the holidays. Not only do we anticipate eating leftover chocolate after Halloween, but we also start planning holiday gatherings. This year we’ve been asked by our customers for advice on how to do something different and include the environment in planning. Did you know that more trash is thrown away between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than any other time of year? Seasonal extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage nationwide. That’s a lot of extra paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, and aluminum cans from holiday celebrations. That’s why more and more people are becoming committed to eco-friendly holiday entertaining.