A Brief History of Dumping

 
Yesterday I posted the breakdown of 50 tons of garbage an individual generates in a lifetime published by Betsy Towner in the September AARP Bulletlin.
 
Today's post gives you Ms Towner's "Brief History of Dumping," and it's got some surprises!
 
500 BC Athens establishes western civilization's first city dump and one-mile trash-free zone outside the city walls.
 
1690 First paper recycling mill opens near Philadelphia.
 
1899 NYC opens garbage-sorting facility to capture recyclables.
 
1900 To dispose of food surplus, US cities use "piggeries" where swine eat resident's discarded slop.
 
1934 US Supreme Court prohibits dumping of municipal waste into ocean.
 
1937 Fresno, CA establishes nation's first "sanitary" landfill, a dump where soil and ash are laid over garbage to contain fumes and odor.
 
1974 University City, MO, establishes nation's first curbside bin pickup program for recycling newpapers.
 
2008 Moviegoers slurp jumbo sodas and munch bucketsfull of popcorn while watching Wall-E, the tale of an endearing trash compactor on a toxic Earth.
 
Just think, if we could set up "trash-free" zones, we will have come full circle with 500 BC Greece!
 
 

50 Tons and what do you get?

 
I happened to pick up the latest AARP Bulletin in the doctor's waiting room and astounded by a short article by Betsy Towner that itemized just how much garbage the average American generates by age 70.
 
Would you believe that every day each one of us generates 4.5 pounds of waste? Today's 70 year old will have generated 50 tons of trash in his lifetime. The good news is that 1/3 of that waste is now recycled compared to just 6 percent in 1960.
 
This is how that 50 tons of lifetime trash breaks down:
 
1. Yard trimmings 15,450 lbs, 62% recycled
 
2. Food scraps 11,500 lbs, 2% recycled
 
3. Newspapers, books, magazines 8,100 lbs, 76% recycled
 
4. Glass & metal containers 3,700 lbs, 40% recycled
 
5. Beer and pop bottles/cans 3,600 lbs, 35% recycled
 
6. Furniture, furnishings 3,200 lbs, .05% recycled
 
7. Clothing, footwear 2,400 lbs, 15% recycled
 
8. Mail 2,200 lbs, 39% recycled
 
9. Electric appliances 1,850lbs, 65% recycled
 
10. Plastic bags & wrap 1,600 lbs, 8% recycled
 
Odds are if you are reading this, you are not even close to 70 years old! Hopefully, you are already reducing, reusing and recycling to cut back on the waste you and your family generate.
 
Let these figures simply encourage you to recommit and renew your efforts to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle. It would seem there's plenty of room for improvement!