The Industrial Revolution made the current way of life in the Western world possible. Unfortunately, since the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century, enormous amounts of waste have been created. The McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), who created the Cradle to Cradle design paradigm, refer to the legacy of the Industrial Revolution as the "industrial framework that dominates our lives" and characterizes it as "fairly primitive."
Since the Industrial Revolution, levels of carbon dioxide have increased 30 percent, and methane levels by 145 percent, according to the U.K. Environmental Change Network.
Britain, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, produces 330 million tons of waste a year. In 2007, Britain only recycled 41 percent of its waste. However, the amount of household waste recycled or composted increased from six percent in 1995 to 26 percent in 2006. The amount of non-recycled waste decreased since 2005.
The statistics for recycled waste in Britain for 2007 break down as follows:
- 90 percent of local authorities met or exceeded household recycling targets
- 90 percent local authorities had less residual trash to collect than 2006
- 94 percent local authorities recycled and composted more than 2006
- 72 percent local authorities sent less trash to landfills than 2006
- 19 percent of local authorities had a higher recycling and composting rate in 2007
- 19 percent of local authorities increased recycling rate by over 10 percent
- Seven authorities reduced the amount of household waste collected by over 10 percent
The situation in the U.S. follows along similar lines. Between the years 1980 to 2005, U.S. municipal solid waste increased 60 percent. However, there was two million tons less of waste in 2005 than in 2004.
Recycling and composting recovered 32 percent of MSW, or 79 million tons in 2005, the last year national recycling statistics were computed.
The statistics for recycled waste in 2007 as reported by municipalities are:
- About 8,550 curbside recycling programs in U.S., less than in 2003 (8,875)
- Container and packaging recycling increased 40 percent
- Composting programs increased from 3,227 to 3,470
- 62 percent yard waste composted
- 50 percent of paper products recycled, about 42 million tons
- Amount of MSW going to landfills decreased 1990-2005 by nine million tons
Germany is another highly industrialized country, yet only produces 30 million tons of garbage a year (50 percent of that is bio waste), as opposed to Britain's 330 million tons and 246 million tons in the U.S. Germany's recycling rate is 70 percent. In other words, the Germans are recycling much more of their garbage than the British or Americans.
In 1972, Germany passed the Waste Avoidance and Waste Management Act in order to reduce the amount of household waste and the need for landfills. During the early 1970s every town had a landfill site, with a total of 50,000 landfills in the country. By the 1990s the amount of landfills was reduced to less than 2,000, and today there are only 160 landfills.
The German Packaging Ordinance began in 1993 as a product take-back law. The ordinance allows consumers to leave packaging from products with retailers. Manufacturers are required to pay for the recycling and disposal of their products' packaging. According to a 2001 article in Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, the ordinance demanded that "German industry take responsibility for its packages to the end of their life cycles" which includes recycling costs.
There is a key difference between the German recycling system and the American and British systems. The German recycling system is based on the "polluter pays" principle. However, the American and British systems are funded by citizens. In other words, private industry is responsible for waste in Germany, so it influences products from their design to packaging. Given the higher recycling statistics in Germany, it is time for the U.S. and Britain to consider developing new recycling systems.
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