Unfortunately, only about one third of the garbage produced in
the United States is recycled. To do much better will take help
from large corporations. Nearly half of all solid waste in
America - 44 percent - is consumer packaging. It’s estimated
that about 50 million tons of metal, glass, paper and plastic
packaging, most of which could be recycled, is buried or burned
every year. This must change, says Conrad MacKerron, senior
program director of As You Sow, a nonprofit group that promotes
corporate responsibility, especially through lobbying
shareholders and negotiating with executives. According to Mr.
MacKerron, “Our current packaging collection and recycling
policies aren’t working and represent a massive waste of
reusable resources.” This fact is, it’s bad business. Lost to
U.S. firms on an annual basis is unrecycled packaging with a
total value of more than $11 billion. This creates economic
damage as well as relentless environmental harm. A significant
problem is the recycling rate of just 12 percent