We the People of a Wasteful Country

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To waste or not to waste would seem like an easy question, but in our country that has over 2,000, landfills it really makes you wonder if we are a nation of excess. Excess isn’t solely defined by what we just throw away. It may be some old clothes that one never wears or perhaps one perfectly good cell phone that was discarded because it was time for an upgrade. The United States is full of excess that could be severely reduced. With waste comes three major topics: waste in general, the landfill, it’s stored in, and the effect it has on the environment. Each of these topics plays a pivotal role in how we as a nation deal with our excess.
Waste comes in all shapes, sizes, and smells. Waste can be anything from a wedge of cheese to a motherboard from a computer. With each item that is being thrown out the question that one needs to ask is, did that need to be thrown away? The biggest form of waste comes from food. Research showed that about 40% of all groceries and restaurant food go uneaten. Now I can admit that there have been times that I don’t finish all of my food at a restaurant. In fact, one time I didn’t even eat one bite of my food. I even had the option of taking it home in a box, but I opted to not do that since nachos don’t taste very good the next day. At the time I wasn’t thinking about how I was wasting it, but I do now.
In America today we waste a lot of materials that can be recycled and re used. Most metals can be melted down and reused again. Almost all plastics today are designed to be recyclable. Wood can be recycled or it can even be used to make a fire. Food waste can be given to the homeless instead of thrown out. What if instead of taking your unwanted wood to the dump you give it to a homeless man to he...

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... Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "E-waste: The Global Impact." Processor (30 Jan. 2009). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 May 2014.
National Solid Wastes Management Association. "Modern Landfills Are Safe for the Environment." Garbage and Recycling. Ed. Mitchell Young. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 May 2014.
Rogers, Heather. "Modern Landfills Encourage Waste and Endanger the Environment." Garbage and Recycling. Ed. Mitchell Young. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 7 May 2014.
Word Wildlife Fund(WWF). "Ocean Pollution Is a Global Threat." Pollution. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Marine Problems: Pollution." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 May 2014.

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