Trash, we create mega tons of it every day and while a lot of people try to be careful about how they recycle stuff or reduce the amount of trash we produce daily the fact is that the amount being produced isn’t reducing by any real measurable amount.

Some quick bullet facts to make you think twice about your trash producing ways:

• Americans produce more than 250 tons of garbage in 2010
• More than 70 million tons of paper is discarded every year
• 28.6 million tons of plastic ended up in garbage dumps and incinerators
• 3 million tons of glass ended up in landfill sites

As much as we might like to delude ourselves otherwise the fact is that we are still spewing out garbage at record rates and there is no sign of this slowing down.

via CoolInfographics

The fact behind what’s in your trash? [Infographic] is a post from: The Inquisitr

1.5 million jobs could be created if the US government increases the recycling rate from 33% to 75% by the year 2030.

According to the Tellus Institute because waste diversion is more labor intensive than waste disposal the recycling industry would create many more jobs than the waste management industry over a shorter period of time.

Among jobs that would be created including recycle collecting, processing and composting, along with jobs in the recycled products industry where the materials are turned into actual goods.

If a strong recycling plan is enacted the United States would more than double current job recycle rates which as of 2009 were predicted at approximately 800,000 jobs.

The study also points out that the increase from 33% to 75% would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the same that would be witnessed if 50 million cars were pulled off the road based on current emission levels.

According to USA Today Tellus Institute created the study with the support of the BlueGreen Alliance, SEIU (Service Employees International Union), the Natural Resources Defense Council, Teamsters, Recycling Works!, and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.

This seems like a good plan to me. Would you be willing to recycle more if curbside pickup and other recycling initiatives were enacted by the United States government?

Recycling Could Create 1.5 Million Jobs [Study] is a post from: The Inquisitr

This is an ad for promoting the recycling of old electrical equipment that is being run in France

hat tip to Design You Trust

Who says robots don’t shit in the junk heap is a post from: The Inquisitr

Going green might have different meanings for different people and it seems that when it comes to the homes we build people have equally different ideas of what to build them out of. Here’s ten different homes that have been built using materials we wouldn’t commonly think of when it comes to creating our living space.

Straw and Mud – in third world countries this might be a common building material but it isn’t something that we might think of when building our next abode.

Boats – while this might be an ideal material to use if you live on the coast I don’t think it would be the top material to use elsewhere.

Garbage – I guess you could consider this the ultimate in recycling although it isn’t something I would want to live in.

Newspapers – if using all your garbage to build a home isn’t quite your thing you could always use those leftover newspapers

Airplanes – if a boat home isn’t up your alley you could always try a home made from an airplane

Glass Bottles – then again if airplanes don’t do it for you you could always use those liquor bottles they serve on them but if your frequent flyer miles won’t get you enough of them you could use any old glass bottles.

Plastic Bottles – if glass isn’t your thing there is always the plastic variety

Beer Cans – can’t find enough glass or plastic? Well there is always the beer can route

Rubber Tires – I’m sure this isn’t what they mean when they talk about “the rubber room”

Doors – and finally a good use for all those doors that keep hitting you on the ass.

hat tip to Now That’s Nifty

10 homes built from things we would throw out is a post from: The Inquisitr

No longer the domain of students and crunchy hippies, shipping container housing has moved from dystopian concept art to sexy living space.

The United States imports more than it exports, and ports are overrun with shipping containers- which happen to hold tremendous potential for long-term housing solutions. But most attempts to turn the blocky metal behemoths into homes have resulted in houses that call to mind passing through Newark.

SG Blocks is changing that though, creating some amazing modern dwellings that aren’t out of place in the hippest design circles. Recycling the existing structures is Earth-friendly, too. SG Blocks co-founder David Cross told CNN:

“These containers weigh about 9,000 pounds, and it takes about 9,000 kilowatt hours of energy to melt down 9,000 pounds of steel,” Cross said. “We modify that existing piece of steel with approximately 400 kilowatt hours of energy input. [That's a] 95 percent energy footprint reduction.”

There are other major benefits. Shipping container housing can reduce construction time by half. Cost estimates vary- some speculate that pricing runs equivalent to traditional “stick frame” homes. Others indicate a savings of at least 15%.

Another benefit is durability- the homes are stronger than their wood-framed counterparts, and termite resistant, too. Around 18 million shipping containers are currently in use worldwide.

[Image: SG Blocks]

SG Blocks brings style to the shipping container housing movement is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you can’t embarrass people into proper recycling habits as in the case of Seattle you can always go the route of San Francisco and fine the people who refuse to sign up for the city’s recycling and composting services. On top of that you could also fine those who don’t sort their garbage properly by putting recyclable material into landfill-bound garbage bins.

Amid fears that this will see the institution of garbage police the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco are considering a new ordinance that would require homeowners and commercial building owners to sign up for their recycling and composting service. For those that don`t they could be facing fines of $500.

The thing is this is happening in a city that already has the highest recycling rate in the nation, at 72 percent. However in a drive to reach a goal of 75 percent landfill diversion by 2010 and zero waste by 2020 city officials think they need to get a little more drastic.

In order to assuage fears of city garbage police poking through garbage bins the city is giving a free pass to buildings lacking the space for bins and will not fine owners of multi-unit buildings for lazy tenants who don`t sort their garbage. As well for small-residential owners the ordinance calls for fines in only the most egregious, repeated case of “contamination” where the fines would top out at the $100 mark.

San Francisco readies $500 fines for bad recyclers is a post from: The Inquisitr

As more and more people climb on the technology bandwagon as they discover the joys of being always connected they are also discovering a big downside to technology. It leaves us with a whole bunch of stuff that has to be gotten rid of at some point. Old cell phones, out of date computers and tired old laptops are only some of the e-waste that is collected in ever increasing amounts.

Until CBS’s 60 Minutes show last year about the disposal of our electronic toys our handling of e-waste was never really talked about. If you asked most people what they thought happened to their electronic cast-offs they probably would just say they got recycled somehow. That attitude is changing though as we begin to realize that these toys of ours contain some pretty dangerous chemicals that need to be handled with care.

With this increasing interest and concern about how to best deal with our electronic leftovers here are three of the best ways to get rid of them

Buy-Back

The one way to deal with the problem is to see if anyone wants to buy your old tech toys. In this regard many companies have sprung up to take them off your hands. Companies like TechForward will let you sign up when you first buy your tech toy and then after a certain period of time will buy it from you for a set price. For those people who are always upgrading as new things come out this is a good way to deal with old electronics but for others who tend to hang on to their equipment there are also companies that will buy it up after verifying it is still in working condition. Usually a quick search will give you a list of these types of companies in your local area.

Taking Back the Junk

This is probably the simplest program but it requires that the stores you deal with have a take-back program. In the majority of cases you won’t receive any money in exchange for your old equipment. It does provide you with a painless and easy way to get rid of older electronics. As well many manufacturers are starting to offer take-back programs but in both cases of retail and manufacturer programs you may have to ask about them.

Here’s a short list of manufactures with take-back programs

• Apple
• Canon
• Dell
• Epson
• Gateway
• HP
• Lenovo
• Lexmark
• LG
• Sony
• Toshiba

Stores that have take-back programs

• Best-Buy
• Costco
• Office Depot
• Radio Shack
• Sam’s Club
• Staples

Recycling those old electronic goodies

This is probably the one method of getting rid of our old electronics that is the most fraught with problems. While recycling old electronics may seem like the best way to deal with the problem it is also as we saw in the 60 Minutes show the one with the most potential to cause a lot of harm – both to people and the environment.

If you decide to go this route you are best to check with organizations that track electronics recycling companies. Primary of these is e-Stewards which is where you can keep up to date with how e-waste is being dealt with and also find recommendations for ethical recyclers such as Green Citizen.

Unlike the other two options recycling will usually end up costing you a few bucks as many recyclers charge a fee for taking your old electronics off of your hands. However most communities through their garbage pickups will offers a free recycling day specifically for electronics so it is always a good idea  to check that out as an option.

[hat tip to Treehugger]

3 ways to deal with E-waste is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ever wondered what happens to all that scrap waste you see being hauled off?

Well in England it would seem they don’t have to wonder anymore. It’s going to the dogs .. or perhaps to make the dogs.

[hat tip to SlipperyBrick]

Scrap waste has gone to the dogs is a post from: The Inquisitr