The latest figures reported by Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality indicate that more materials are being “recovered.” That’s good news. That means that more materials than ever are being recycled, burned for energy recovery or composted. In fact, in a 10-year span, from 1993 to 2003, the recovery rate rose from 1.8 pounds per day to 3.3 pounds per day (per person). Impressive, right? So, should we pat ourselves on the back for a job well done? Not so fast. That would only be half the story.

A disturbing trend has also been tracked over the same 10-year period–the amount of waste Oregonians generate in just one day. That figure rose from 5.9 pounds per day in 1993 to 7.7 pounds per day in 2003. Has this increase been offset by our diligent recycling? Unfortunately, no. Even considering the higher rate of recycling, we’ve still increased the amount we are disposing to 4.3 pounds per day, up from 4.1 pounds per day ten years ago.

Since the figure is calculated per person, it cannot be blamed on increasing populations or growing communities. This figure is based on what each individual throws away each day.

What can you and each member of your family do to decrease their individual rate of disposal? We hope that browsing this website will give you some ideas.

Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

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