How many cans does the United States recycle each year?

U.S. collection grows from 1.2 billion cans in 1972 to more than 62 billion cans in 1995 through curbside recycling programs and more than 10,000 recycling centers. The U.S. recycles at a rate of 25 percent; EPA sets a new goal of 35 percent. Meanwhile in Germany, Elopak and SINTEF team up to sell the first infra-red sorting machine.

How many curbside recycling programs are there in the US?

Germany made history when it passed an ordinance shifting responsibility for the entire life cycle of packaging to producers. Total number of curbside programs in the US grows to a total of 5,404, a growth of 4,354 programs in only 4 years!

When did the industry start to recycle plastic?

Documents show industry officials knew this reality about recycling plastic as far back as the 1970s. Many of the industry’s old documents are housed in libraries, such as the one on the grounds of the first DuPont family home in Delaware. Others are with universities, where former industry leaders sent their records.

What happens to recycling in the United States?

The same thing is happening across the country. Broadway, Virginia, had a recycling program for 22 years, but recently suspended it after Waste Management told the town that prices would increase by 63 percent, and then stopped offering recycling pickup as a service.

How are recycling processes have changed over the past 10 years?

Recycling has changed dramatically in recent years. Just 10 years ago, the majority of recycling was completed with a dual-stream system, meaning you needed to sort recyclables into individual categories prior to sending them off.

Are there any recycling businesses in the US?

Since the Chinese ban on U.S. waste import, another economy that is thriving locally is Paper Recycling. The Pratt Industries mill in Wapakoneta, Ohio, for example, was created in October 2019 and processed 180,000 tons of mixed paper in its first year of existence.

When was the first recycling program in the world?

A lot has changed over the past 2500 or so years and we figured it might be interesting to look at the places that birthed the concept of Recycling and Waste Management and see how they’re faring in the modern-day Recycling and Waste Industry. The city organized the first ever municipal dump program in the western world way back in 500 BC.