We can recycle everything we use, including cigarette butts and toothbrushes. So why don’t we? https://t.co/D7i4gMOV6z @StatistaCharts pic.twitter.com/XC22kdB18n
– World Economic Forum (@wef) January 15, 2017
When we buy a candy bar, we own the wrapper after the short life of the product; doing something with that branded possession, rather than adding to waste, feels good. Recycling is empowering to consumers and, in the case of traditionally recyclable materials such as glass, paper, rigid plastics and certain metals, economically viable. Recycling not only diverts potentially valuable materials from landfills and incinerators, it also offsets demand for virgin materials, helping to keep carbon in the ground. Recycling aligns human consumption with nature’s activities.
But as human-generated waste streams continue to evolve in diversity and volume, the global community faces the mounting challenge of developing viable recycling and waste management solutions at a comparable pace.
For example, electronic waste is currently the fastest growing solid waste stream, increasing two to three times faster than other waste streams. There is an increase in recycling companies to adapt to this electronic waste ,with E-waste being distributed correctly and efficiently. Often your electronic waste can be dropped off to the appropriate station and dealt with, with little hassle. More broadly, industrial activities currently generate nearly 7.6 billion tons of solid waste in the US each year – that’s 3000% of the total municipal waste generated by Americans annually. As the world enters the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the ecological implications of not prioritizing sustainable resource management are dire.