Trash pickers save the environment

"Scorned trash pickers become global environmental force"

Here's a great story about how countries around the world are recycling at extremely high rates, not thanks to government policy but to "trash pickers" in impoverished urban centers. Here's the story, thanks to the Huffington Post:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/jack_chang/story/31468.html

Recycling: Office Paper

In 2003, only 48.3% of office paper was recovered for recycling.

From "15 Facts about the Paper Industry, Global Warming and the Environment" at The Daily Green.

Recycling Rates of Different Materials

52 percent of all paper, 31 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.

From the EPA.

Recycling Factoids: Curbside Programs

By 2006, about 8,660 curbside collection programs served roughly half of the American population.

From the EPA.

That's up from only one program twenty years ago, which is very impressive, but what about the half of the population without access to curbside recycling?

The Growth of Recycling Programs

Recycling, including composting, diverted 82 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 2006, up from 34 million tons in 1990.

From the EPA.

Recycling Factoids: Recycled Paper

Making paper from recycled paper reduces air pollution by 95%.

National Recycling Coalition

Recycling Factoids: Glass

This post kicks off our March focus on recycling.

From Earth 911:

Recycled glass saves 50% energy vs. virgin glass (Center for Ecological Technology)

Recycling of one glass container saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours (EPA)

Recycled glass generates 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution (NASA)

1 ton of glass made from 50% recycled materials saves 250 lbs. of mining waste (EPA)

Glass can be reused an infinite number of times; over 41 billion glass containers are made each year (EPA)