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"Recycling has come almost full-circle in the last 60 years. In 1942
everyone in America reduced wasteful consumption, reused all sorts of items, and
saved their "scrap" for the war effort. Whether it was metal for planes,
rubber
for tires, or even left-over cooking fat for lubricants--Americans reduced,
reused, and recycled it all! Just 10 years after the war these efforts were
forgotten and Americans relearned how to waste. For nearly four decades we
threw
it all away becoming the "Disposable Society." Then starting in the late
1970's and continuing right up to today, Americans realize we are choking on our
own waste and depriving future generations of the resources they will need."
Californians Against Waste at www.cawrecycles.org
And yet . . . even as government, industry, and the public move toward a
"Recycling Society," population growth is overwhelming that progress and
overwhelming our capacity to handle our waste. For example, in 1991, California
dumps
accepted approximately 37,500 tons of trash. Yet ten years later, despite the
fact that recycling, diverting, and composting had increased significantly,
trash delivered to dumps increased. Dramatic early drops in annual landfill
tonnage were overtaken by millions of new residents.
While there may always be more we can do to reduce per capita waste, so long
as we have a rampant increase in the number of "capitas" (people) in
California as well as the rest of the U.S., waste will continue to increase and
become
an increasing problem.
If you know of an organization which is concerned with the connection between
rampant population growth and waste, please click on "Contact Us" and tell
us about yourself and about that organization.
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