In 2006, Americans produced 251 million tons of municipal solid waste prior to recycling, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That works out to about 4 1/2 pounds a day for every man, woman and child in the country. Fortunately, 82 million tons of that material was recycled or composted that year.
The EPA estimates that materials recycled in 2006 include:
Auto batteries 99 percent
Steel cans 62.9 percent
Yard trimmings 62 percent
Paper and paperboard 51.6 percent
Aluminum beer and soft drink cans 45.1 percent
Tires 34.9 percent
Plastic HDPE milk and water bottles 31 percent
Plastic soft drink bottles 30.9 percent
Glass containers 25.3 percent
