365 Ways to Save the Planet

Day 326 – An unlikely source, TitleMax, looked at some gross data to calculate what one person produces in garbage in one year by type of waste.

Here’s what they found.

1. Mail – 23.06 pounds per person
2. Toilet Paper & Paper Towels – 22.36 pounds per person
3. Paper plates and cups – 8.22 pounds per person
4. Cardboard boxes – 187.77 pounds per person
5. Cartons – 34.97 pounds per person
6. Glass beer and soft drink bottles – 12.74 pounds per person
7. Other bottles and jars – 24.52 pounds per person
8. Metal durable goods – 92.80 pounds per person
9. Aluminum goods – 10.89 pounds per person
10. Steel cans – 11.78 pounds per person
11. Aluminum cans – 9.04 pounds per person
12. Durable plastics – 72.99 pounds per person
13. Plastic plates and cups – 6.75 pounds per person
14. Plastic trash bags – 6.50 pounds per person
15. Plastic bottles and jars – 17.77 pounds per person
16. Plastic bags and wraps – 24.27 pounds per person
17. Clothing and footwear – 70 pounds per person
18. Food waste – 220.96 pounds per person
19. Yard trimmings – 91.53 pounds per person
20. Wood – 854.20 pounds per person

That’s a grand total of 1,803.12 pounds per person

We can help reduce our waste by refusing, recycling, reusing and composting items off the list.

Tomorrow, reusable sticky notes.