The USA is the world leader in the amount of waste produced. For example, 40% of all food produced in America ends up in the trash. And since the United States has been considered a country of consumption for many decades, the issue of waste disposal is extremely acute for the state.

Separate waste collection

In the United States, there is no unified waste collection system, so each state builds a system on its own, but the waste collection system by fractions has been adopted as a priority https://www.ourgreenstreets.org/org/stevenage-recycling-centre/.

In some states, residents sort garbage into several containers:

• Bottles, jars, and plastic containers
• Metal waste
• Glass
• Paper, cardboard, and printed products
• Other household waste that cannot be sorted.

If you live in a house with a garbage chute, then the state will ask you to deal with waste as follows:

Food waste should be placed in one bag, unsorted garbage in another, paper and cardboard should be folded next to the garbage chute, and cans and bottles should be sent to a container at a particular site.

In America, they practice a system of differentiated fees for the removal of solid waste. The less garbage you have, the less you have to pay for its removal. Therefore, residents are trying to reduce the amount of their waste and competently sort recyclables because on the days of collection events, for example, at shopping centers, the removal of sorted fractions is free.

Promoting responsible waste management

The involvement of residents in the waste sorting system occupies a different place.

At school, children are told a lot about ecology. In special lessons, they teach garbage sorting and explain its importance. Sometimes competitions are also held among students to collect waste paper and plastic.

Interestingly, American schoolchildren are involved in volunteering from an early age since the program provides for a certain number of hours that the child must devote to caring for nature. Some guys "take patronage" over a certain piece of the park's territory, forest or square, monitor it, collect garbage and maintain order there.

Americans have a special attitude to the holidays. Therefore, in 1997, the United States approved Waste Recycling Day, held annually on November 15th.

On this day, the government promulgates new laws on waste management, summing up waste management programs' results, rewarding companies that achieve good recycling performance, and much more to show residents that all their efforts are visible and greatly appreciated.

The results of promoting responsible waste management are striking. Back in the 90s, most sociological surveys showed that sorting garbage did not fit with the mentality of Americans. But now, the vast majority of residents are sorting waste at home and striving for responsible consumption.