The United States is the largest producer of household waste in developed countries
The United States is the country producing the most household waste per capita in the world among the developed countries, without having the sorting capacities necessary to absorb it, which represents a threat for the environment, according to a recent report.
The world produces an average of 2.1 billion tonnes of waste per year, taking into account the solid waste managed by municipalities, i.e. discarded food, plastics and various litter, enough to fill more 820,000 Olympic swimming pools. Only 16% of the total is recycled, according to this report.
American residents and traders are by far the ones producing the most trash per person among the richest countries: on average 773 kilos per year, more than three times the world average and seven times more than the Ethiopians, Ethiopia being the country that produces the least waste. On the other hand, recycling capacity in the United States is one of the poorest among developed countries, with only 35%, far behind Germany, which recycles 68% of its litter.
That’s why it is a good idea that if you have a lot of junk at home you rent a dumpster to send it to the landfill. And you can save money on renting a roll-off container. An informed customer is the one who gets the best deal, following some of these tips.
Get quotes from multiple dumpster rental companies to make sure you’re getting the best price. Be aware of the quantity of weight included in the feee and its impact on cost if you exceed the weight limit. If unsure between dumpster sizes, the larger is probably the way to go so you do not end up renting two bins. The difference in price is a lot less than renting another dumpster.
Ask the rental company if they accept clean loads for recycling, which will help the environment. If so, when renting a bin you may get a discount rate since recycling the debris typically costs them less compared to the regular fees at the local landfills.
When we know that the generalization of plastic bags was imposed by the techno-merchant system in the 1970s under the pretext of limiting deforestation and protecting trees threatened by the paper industry, we are pinched. And we are all the more pinched when we know that, according to the World Economic Forum itself, ten rivers alone bring 90% of the plastics that rot the oceans.
Where do these rivers flow? Eight are located in Asia, namely the Yangtze, the Indus, the Yellow River, the Hai He, the Ganges, the Pearl River, Love, the Mekong. And two are located in Africa: the Nile and Niger. Neither the Hudson, nor the Mississippi, nor the Rhône, nor the Loire, nor the Rhine, nor the St. Lawrence are pinned.
According to data from the Ocean Conservancy (2016), 60% of plastic waste floating in the oceans is released by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. All countries which, unlike the West, have neglected their waste management systems to produce low cost goods which invade our countries while their plastics invade the seas.
The report’s authors warn that China’s sudden decision in 2018 to stop accepting plastic waste from around the world, followed by other countries in Southeast Asia, may further complicate the plight of large waste-producing countries.
Some countries have decided to ban plastic products, either bags or disposable items. However, global production of plastics increased further in 2018 on a global scale, led by Asia and the United States, according to the European Plastic Federation.