Why Public Space Recycling?

Part of the reason we are still needlessly wasting resources by throwing them away instead of recycling them is because more and more items are consumed on-the-go to accommodate our busy lifestyles. According to the Beverage Packaging Environment Council, 31% by amount (34% by weight) of all beverage containers are consumed away from home.

We know that it’s easy to recycle at home, but it can be difficult to find recycling bins out and about, so most of what we take on-the-go ends up in the trash. Take a look at water bottles for example. According to Fast Company Magazine, Americans went through about 50 billion plastic water bottles —or 167 for each person—in 2006. Currently nationwide at least 8 out of every 10 plastic bottles are wasted. Doing the math, this means about 40 billion of those bottles were wasted, becoming either litter or garbage. Burning garbage in an incinerator or burying it in a landfill contributes to global warming and releases toxic substances into our air and water.