We all know that recycling our trash and junk removal materials is vital to the health of the environment. But how much of our waste is actually recycled?
Landfills in this country are gradually filling up and being closed. And there are fewer landfills available each year. But trash and junk removal never ends.
Junk Removal and Recycling Go Hand-in-Hand
There was a time in America when recycling was considered a novel concept. That wasn’t the case, actually, as Americans had been “recycling” long before we were using the term. Prior to the 1950s it was just considered common sense to reuse as much of everything as possible.
Although glass, plastics, paper, and metals were not being “recycled” using the processes we have today, anything that could be re-purposed or reused didn’t end up in the local dump right away.
With the boom of consumerism after WWII, however, Americans in particular soon found themselves overwhelmed with goods and products. And the incentive to save old items or reuse them began to rapidly fade.
Junk and waste began to multiply across the cities and towns along with landfills. According to one source,In 1937, a landfill that opened in Fresno, California, first utilized compacting of waste and daily application of a covering layer of soil. This more sanitary disposal of garbage, as opposed to the open-air and haphazard dumping of trash in dumps, became even more publicly acceptable during World War II (1939–1945), with images of troops burying their garbage. By the end of the war, more than 100 cities in the United States had established “sanitary landfills.” And that was just the beginning. Today, it is estimated that there are close to 1,250 active landfills in the United States, with thousands of closed landfills, many of which have been rehabilitated to some degree.
The good news is that we have improved our efforts to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” over the years.
As the EPA points out, The amount of MSW [municipal solid waste] combusted with energy recovery increased from zero in 1960 to 14 percent in 1990. In 2018, it was about 12 percent. Landfilling of waste has decreased from 94 percent of the amount generated in 1960 to 50 percent of the amount generated in 2018.
But it is apparent that we still have a long ways to go towards achieving the goal of “zero waste.”
Why Green Junk Removal Matters
One of the activities that Americans have mastered well is the science of junk and trash removal and disposal. For most of us, the convenience of municipal and private waste management services means our trash is regularly taken away. Out of sight, out of mind. Most of us rarely think about where all that trash and junk ends up. Unfortunately, there is a dark side to this.
As one recycling website noted, According to the EPA, in 2018, almost half of that trash (49.997%) went to landfills around the country. Worse, yearly MSW production has been steadily climbing, year over year since recording first began in the 1960s—and the US has never had a national recycling rate (recovered material + composting) higher than 35%.
The topic of landfill lifespan – how much longer before we run out of landfill space – is a complex one. However, some studies indicate that the U.S. will hit that point in less than 60 years, perhaps sooner.
Which is all the more reason that individuals and businesses should make recycling a priority. This is especially true in light of the fact that, overall, solid waste stream in the U.S. is 75 percent recyclable.
The good news is that, when it comes to getting rid of your junk, a truly green option is available.
The truth is that not every professional junk removal firm makes recycling a priority, and almost none of them operate on the basis of recycling as much junk as possible – except one: JP Junk Removal.
JP Junk Removal: We Make Recycling Our Mission
Junk removal and disposal is an age-old profession that has been carried on since the days of handcarts and community garbage pits.
And, in some ways, little has changed. But today we know that most of what we toss out is reusable. And we have the technology to recycle most of our junk (and trash) to create new raw materials for manufacturing new products.
Most metals, such as steel, are infinitely recyclable. Clean glass is also infinitely recyclable. Paper and paperboard waste is highly recyclable, with almost 70 percent of it being recycled today. The story with plastic is a less bright since there are many types of plastic that cannot be processed well, and many others have no recovered materials market.Unfortunately, far too much of these materials still ends up in our landfills. At JP Junk, we founded our company on the premise that recycling as much junk as possible is vital and essential to our environment.
Which is why we made this goal part of our company’s mission. And, today, we continually work to recycle about 60 percent of what we pick up from each job.
So, when it comes to junk removal, you can help avoid adding to the landfills and recycle most of your unwanted items by partnering with JP Junk Removal for your junk disposal needs.
Jp Junk Removal: Your Local Partner for Junk Removal and Recycling
You can rest assured that JP Junk Removal will always provide efficient, safe, and eco-friendly junk removal designed to make the whole process easy for you. Contact us for your junk removal Limerick, PA needs. And that means that our experienced junk removal team has all the resources needed to remove and haul away unwanted junk items and just about any other trash items you need to get rid of quickly, easily, and efficiently.
In addition, your local JP Junk Removal team also makes sure that your reusable items end up in the right place. This might be a local non-profit group for those items that are still in usable condition. And for all those other items and materials that really don’t need to go into a landfill? We’ve got it covered. We make sure that your junk, waste, and debris is all disposed of in an eco-friendly method.
Which is just another way of saying, “JP Junk Removal recycles. A lot.”
For JP Junk Removal, “being green” and environmentally responsible is at the core of our company mission. And we carry out that mission every day by recycling, donating, or repurposing everything we possibly can – up to 60 percent or more, to be exact. Our goal is to minimize the amount of trash and junk that ends up in our landfills. So, when it comes to junk removal, we do all we can to help achieve zero waste by making sure that all the metals, plastics, glass, and other materials are broken down and recycled properly. And, best of all, we do all the heavy lifting!
You simply point and we haul your junk items into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees. Our professional and insured junk removal and disposal team will call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive at your home. And, once we’re there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your bulk trash will take up in our truck, along with any other junk items you want to get rid of. So, ready to get rid of all your junk with a green company? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Just make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 610-421-5865.
