The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75 percent of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is recyclable, but only about 30 percent is actually recycled.
The reason people don't recycle as much as they could is chalked up to poor recycling habits, lack of education and awareness, and limited collection opportunities. These are the greatest challenges in improving the amount of recovered recyclables. Recyclables like paper.
Many household projects like cleaning up a garden and other yard work involve getting rid of a fair amount of dirt. But how should it be disposed of?
Most of us underestimate just how heavy dirt actually is. Depending on the amount of moisture in it, dirt can weigh anywhere from 76 to 110 pounds per cubic foot. Considering there are roughly 15 cubic feet of space in an average 96-gallon trash cart, filled with dirt, it could weigh at least 1140 pounds if the dirt is extremely dry. Any moisture at all and it could weigh over 1,600 pounds!
It is unbelievable how much trash Americans generate through the course of a week. Estimates are that “1,600 pounds is the amount of trash the average American produces annually. With the garbage produced in America alone, you could form a line of filled-up garbage trucks that would reach the moon”.
As astonishing as this number is, it’s just the tip of the iceberg since today’s fast-paced culture perpetuates the problem with readily available, pre-packaged everything! In fact, speaking of packaging, “72 million tons of containers and packaging in 2009 ended up in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream or MSW.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75 percent of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is recyclable, but only about 30 percent is actually recycled. 
