Reuse
Aside having a good collection strategy, using technology to identify new ways to recycle existing objects is the other way to increase recycling. As your textbook states, most of what you throw out is paper, followed by yard waste, plastic, metals, and glass (Table 19.3, 5th edition or Table 17.2, 4th edition). Over the past two decades with a new Integrated Waste Management mind-set, numerous new technologies have made it much easier and cost effective to recycle these common objects.
Indiana leads in the number of jobs produced by recycling collection, distribution, and remanufacturing. (Figure: Indiana Department of Commerce.)
Look at what you throw out on a regular basis--most of it is material we already have existing technology to recycle easily and resale to manufacturers. However, not everything is easily recycled in the U.S. All plastics have a numerical code on the bottom, which represents the chemical make-up of the plastic. In the U.S., we routinely recycle #1 and #2 plastics. However, few cities recycle #3-#7 plastics--which can be recovered and reused. Recycling computers, cell phones, batteries, and other electronics is as equally difficult. Finding where to recycle these materials is difficult, even though many companies exist who recycle these materials.
The recycling industry in Indiana compared to other industries. (Figure: Indiana Department of Commerce.)
Without government mandates to increase recycling, government incentives to find new applications for recycled materials, and with an apathetic population that doesn't want to sort recyclables or take hazardous materials (like batteries, motor oil) to a special collection point. Here is a little story: A geology department went on a field trip to Tweed, Ontario--the middle of nowhere. At the campground, they asked the owner where the dumpster was, and he replied "you shouldn't have any trash." This dumbfounded the students, but the owner led the group to the six recycling bins--each for a different product. Everything was recycled, from the foil lid on a yogurt container to the metal cap on a glass bottle. By the end of the week, the were recycling almost 100 percent of their trash.
How Toxic Are You ? Take a jar and start collecting the batteries you throw away. After four to six months, your jar will probably be filled up. Just one person can generate significant amounts of toxic waste. Cell phone batteries and batteries for digital cameras and remote devices pile up quickly.
What many students (and business officials) don't realize is recycling has an economic benefit, both in attracting manufacturing operations who make recycling equipment, or make recycled products. 75,000 people are employed in recycling businesses in Indiana, with $19 billion dollars in annual revenue (Indiana Commerce). Although Indiana's recycling rate has room for improvement, Indiana leads the U.S. in the number of jobs per capita involved in recycling or making new products from recycled components. However, some of these jobs are not "high-tech" and includes junkyards, steel mills which recycle scrap metal, and Goodwill (a reseller of used materials).