America: The Queen of Trash

Did you know that America is a country that WebEcoist calls "the queen of trash"?

Below is a quote I got from their website:

"Every day in the U.S., we produce enough trash to equal the weight of the Empire State Building. We throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, produce enough styrofoam cups annually to circle the earth 436 times and trash enough office paper to build a 12-foot wall form Los Angeles to New York City. We throw away 570 disposable diapers each second, and toss out enough aluminum cans to rebuild our commercial air fleet every three months. Each year we fill enough garbage trucks to stretch from Earth halfway to the moon." (WebEcoist)

Wow! I knew that we were bad, but I didn't realize the numbers were so high. What will happen if we continue this way? What hope does this provide for future generations who must live on this planet long after we are gone? What kind of footprint are we leaving?

So here are some simple solutions I came up with. They are not the complete answer, but perhaps a good start. If we all just did a little bit, what a difference it could make.

Possible Solutions

Learn to Recycle

Buy drinking containers that you only need to buy once. Example: Tupperware insulated tumblers and commuter mugs

Cut down on printing. Make your to-do lists on the computer.

Use tote bags when you shop rather than the paper or plastic bags you get at the store

Purchase ebooks or Kindle books from Amazon

Use rewashable diapers

My Philosophy

Never buy anything that I can only use once. Buy items that I can use multiple times or at all times. This cuts down on trash and also saves money in the long run.

Sources:
WebEcoist

Author
Donna Loudon
Tupperware Director
Visit Donna's Website for containers you only need to buy once