New World, New Problems
The "Old World" Shows the Way
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Our households generate a lot of trash. And we are taking baby steps towards recycling. In Europe, we are astonished at the level of environmental awareness and commitment of ordinary people to mitigate their footprint. German consumer goods are not quite as over-packaged as in the U.S.—manufacturers have to pay higher fees for more product packaging.
But Germans also can, and do, recycle far more of their waste. The nation is a recycling champ. For example, 67% of paper products are recycled, the highest percentage in the world.
And not just in the home. Recycling containers are everywhere. In supermarkets, recycling counters just inside the entrance have slots for everything from batteries to plastic deli containers. Villages, towns and cities have large recycling containers in multiple locations for green, brown and white glass, PET and other plastics, paper, cartons, aluminum and composites, and more. Street trash receptacles are small and rarely full, because recycling receptacles are placed frequently on sidewalks. In Munich, even the subways have receptacles divided into slots for paper, glass, plastic and trash.
California is one of the most progressive states in the country, yet we still lag behind German villages. Let’s change that!
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