Over the past 50 years, the total amount of waste generated by each person in the United States has nearly doubled, primarily because of increased affluence

Question

Discuss three specific actions that an American citizen could take in order to promote a more environmentally sound waste management lifestyle.

Answer 1

First, reducing the amount of waste generated should be the focus. This can be accomplished by purchasing items in reusable containers, or if this is not possible for some items, then to choose items with as little packaging as possible. Packaging waste (paper and plastic) accounts for a significant amount of waste entering the municipal waste stream. Second, increasing the amount of recycling one participates in would be a significant action. Although the current rate of recycling in the United States is just over 30%, in Japan and many European countries it exceeds 50%. Finally, one could consider reusing some wastes, particularly paper and plastic bags used to carry purchased food and material goods. Never using another paper or plastic bag (using cloth, reusable bags instead) would be a significant action, especially if practiced by every U.S. citizen.