The American people throw away more trash than any other society in the world! America consumes 80 percent of our planet's resources, even though we represent only 20 percent of the world's population (Cooper 267). The average person throws away 4.3 pounds of trash every day. That’s about 30 pounds per week and 120 pounds per month! (“Reduce and reuse” 1). Americans throw away too much – that’s the bottom line (Cooper 265). There is a waste crisis in America and “the only part of the anti-waste message that has taken hold to any notable degree is the call for recycling” (Cooper 267). Our country's problems with waste and recycling go hand in hand. America produces too much waste and the environment is suffering. Efforts are being made to combat these problems through recycling and waste management, but is it enough? (Cooper 267).II. America appears to be experiencing a narrowing of disposal options (Griffin 1). Waste is either thrown into landfills, incinerated or burned, or recycled. Seventy percent of all solid waste ends up in landfills (Griffin 2). Every year, “240 million tires, 1.6 billion pens, 2 billion razors and blades, and 16 billion disposable diapers” are thrown away (Griffin 2). Five hundred disposable cups and 10,000 sheets of photocopy paper are used each year by an average office worker (“Waste and Recycling Facts” 1). Additionally, 500,000 trees are needed each week to make two-thirds of the newspapers that are never recycled (Cooper 270). A twelve-foot-high wall stretching from Los Angeles to New York could be built with office paper and stationery that Americans use every year. Our country is getting rid of enough iron and steel to continually supply automakers across the country. About 2.5 mi...... middle of paper ...... America, about the economic and environmental costs involved in disposal and recycling, and about some options that have worked, as well as ideas that might work in the future. I hope to see more recycling programs and laws in place and possibly a national recycling law in the near future. I know our country could benefit if individuals were educated through news, television programs, or community efforts. Personally, I would like to know how to recycle more items and types of materials like food, chip bags, tin cans, styrofoam and green waste. By learning about the landfill and recycling crisis in the United States, I will definitely recycle more and encourage people to recycle. Hopefully, by raising awareness of these issues, people will want to change their habits and take the time to collect, sort and recover recyclable materials..