In 2008, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash, of which 83 million tons was recycled and composted, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Those numbers equal a 33.2 percent recycling rate. The percentage of municipal solid waste recycled has more than doubled since 1990. There are still steps you can take to benefit the environment, conserve landfill space and improve overall recycling efforts in the nation.
This figure is down from over 18,000 open landfills in 1979, yet according to the Clean Air Council, the amount of trash produced in that time span increased by 80 percent. Landfills are both a current and future source of poll...
A variety classifications define standards and regulations for disposing of these materials. At the federal level, standards and regulations related to hazardous and special wastes are defined and enforced by the U.S. Environme...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has categorized waste into hazardous and nonhazardous types. Generally, if something doesn't have the characteristics of a hazardous waste, regulating bodies consider it nonhazardous. A...
Environmental Protection Agency. Industry adds another 7.6 billion tons or so annually of its own non-hazardous trash to what the EPA calls the solid waste stream. Where that waste goes after it leaves the curb or dumpster depe...
Many items in your home are potentially hazardous. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency specifically defines hazardous waste as any substance which is ignitable, reactive, toxic or corrosive. Any of these materials can pose...
Toxic waste presents a serious human health threat. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United Stated generated nearly 40 million tons of hazardous waste in 2007. The primary source was basic chemic...
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average American home collects approximately 100 pounds of hazardous waste in the form of various pesticides, cleaners, medications and other products. Properly identifying...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has precise definitions for hazardous waste. Any substance that is ignitable, corrosive, reactive or toxic may fall under the EPA definitions. Some of these wastes, such as solvents, com...
Americans use approximately 3 billion batteries each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Each type of battery has a specific method of disposal determined by federal regulations. While the government co...
Trash, politely known as municipal solid waste or nonhazardous waste, often is burned or put into landfills. Some waste, however, can be recycled. CalRecycle, California's official recycling agency, notes that sustainability is...
Household hazardous waste is defined as any product that contains corrosive, toxic, ignitable or reactive ingredients, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA. The average American household stores as much...
Most homes today contain hazardous products that are potentially harmful to people and the environment. Household hazardous waste is defined as those substances that are flammable, explosive, corrosive or toxic. Products common...
Modern life presents us with dilemmas. You want to save energy by using a compact fluorescent light, but its mercury content means it can't go in the regular trash. To reduce the hazardous waste coming from your household, you ...
The most important thing to remember regarding disposal of hazardous waste is to minimize the environmental effects of the material. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agen...
In fact, you can probably find hazardous products in several different locations throughout your home. The problem is that once these products are no longer used, they become household hazardous waste, which is dangerous both t...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines hazardous waste as any material that can be potentially harmful to either the environment or to humans. Because of the environmental risk, you should use extra caution when deali...
Toxic waste is produced and released into the environment every day in the United States and in most industrial countries. Although many people think of toxic waste coming mostly from commercial or industrial applications, many...
