减少垃圾填埋场数量的最好方法之一是禁止使用泡沫塑料杯和外卖容器等物品. Tell your governor to ban single-use polystyrene items today.
美国nited States produces too much 浪费.
自然资源被不断地开采以生产在美国使用的商品.S. – often only briefly – before they are thrown into landfills, incinerators or the natural environment. 这种消费和处理方式造成了宝贵资源的浪费和威胁我们健康的污染, environment and the global climate.
由于这一体系的成本落在整个社会身上——而不是驱动它的生产者和消费者身上——因此几乎没有什么直接的激励措施来推动变革.
To protect public health and the environment, conserve natural resources and landscapes, and address the mounting crisis of climate change, 美国应该走向零浪费的经济体系. To achieve that goal, 联邦, 州和地方政府应该制定政策和计划，鼓励向“循环”或“闭环”经济转变，在这种经济中，消耗更少，所有的材料都可以重复利用, recycled and composted in a continuous cycle.
美国.S. 尽管它的人口只占世界人口的4%，但它却产生了全球12%以上的垃圾. [1]
- In 2018 alone, the U.S. 扔掉了超过2.92亿吨的城市固体垃圾——家庭丢弃的材料, businesses and institutions, such as universities and libraries.
- Americans throw out 4.9 pounds of trash per person every day – that’s nearly 1,800 pounds of materials per American every year.
- 在美国，大多数的垃圾(62%)是由家庭和企业丢弃的.S. is ultimately dumped into landfills or burned in incinerators.
More than 91% of plastic was landfilled or incinerated in 2018.
每隔15.5个小时后，美国人扔掉的塑料足够填满美国最大的NFL体育场，AT&T球场(达拉斯牛仔队的主场)，而且球场的看台每年都在扩大.
Our trash leads to even more 浪费 than we see. 我们使用和处理的产品是通过采矿和制造等过程产生的, which generate far more, and far more dangerous, 浪费.
美国的垃圾很大程度上是由那些只用了很短时间的商品组成的.
Over 28% of all U.S. garbage is packaging, 这相当于8200万吨的材料，通常是在产品购买或使用后扔掉的.
Nondurable goods, such as clothing and newspaper, account for 17.你的3%.S. garbage, with yard trimmings (12.1%) and food (21.6%) accounting for a substantial share as well.
The remainder (19.5%)家庭和企业扔掉的是耐用品, like furniture and appliances, many of which could be repaired or repurposed, or have their materials recycled for other uses.
America’s linear material economy, where materials are extracted, made into goods, and disposed of, 一条单行道会对环境和公众健康造成巨大影响吗.
- Global warming pollution: Roughly 42% of all U.S. 温室气体排放产生于开采资源的每个阶段, producing goods, disposing of 浪费, and transporting materials.
- 空气污染: Incinerator emissions include heavy metals and mercury, a neurotoxin that impairs brain function, as well as cancer-causing pollutants like dioxin, one of the most toxic substances known to humanity. 支持线性材料经济的开采和生产活动也造成了环境退化, air pollution and water contamination.
- Water contamination:垃圾填埋场的渗滤液会渗入环境，威胁饮用水供应.
- Ocean pollution: An estimated 16.每年有500万吨塑料被冲进海洋. 这种塑料可以存留数百年，缠绕海洋动物可以杀死它们, poisoning them or blocking their digestive tracts. 海洋垃圾被认为是生物多样性的最大威胁之一.
- Wasted natural resources当前位置美国需要3.21亿棵树来生产相当于被填埋或焚烧的纸张数量的纸张.S. 仅2018年一年. Thirty million acres of cropland, roughly the area of Pennsylvania, is farmed each year for food that is 浪费d in the U.S.
美国的消费和处理系统鼓励和鼓励浪费.
社会承担了大部分浪费的成本和负担——而不是制造浪费的生产者和消费者——从而消除了变革的动力.
- Producers have few direct incentives to build products to last, to make them easy to repair, to use less packaging, or to make their goods or packaging easy to reuse, recycle or compost. 事实上, 对于生产者来说，制造一次性或临时使用的商品，以便消费者不断购买更多的商品，这通常是有益的.
- Producers, distributors and 浪费 haulers have a stake in the U.S. 废物处理系统继续像现在这样运作，并已经游说反对改变.
A zero-浪费 economy is possible
Nearly all of America’s trash could be composted and recycled.
U.S. 城市和州以及其他国家已经在向零浪费迈进.
- 11个州 have passed bans on single-use plastic bags, seven states have passed bans on expanded polystyrene containers, and more are considering bans on other single-use foodware, packaging and more.
- 有几个州禁止垃圾填埋场使用可回收垃圾，2020年佛蒙特州成为第一个禁止垃圾填埋场使用可回收垃圾的州 all compostable materials from landfills.
- Thanks to a variety of policies and programs, such as making manufacturers responsible for disposing of packaging, 德国 现在回收 67% of household 浪费.
- In July 2021, Maine became the first state in the U.S. 通过一项规定包装和纸制品生产者责任的法律, 将回收成本的责任从纳税人转移到生产这些产品的公司.
America has the tools to shift away from this 浪费ful, 从污染和昂贵的线性系统到产生零废物的循环材料经济, conserves natural resources, and limits pollution and global warming emissions.
Efforts to reduce 浪费 should prioritize reducing material consumption first and foremost; reusing, refurbishing and repairing everything possible; and recycling or composting all remaining materials.
By taking the following steps, the U.S. 能否鼓励向零废物产生的循环经济转变. 这些步骤可以通过当地的各种政策和项目来推广, state and national levels.
1. Set a goal to achieve zero 浪费.
2. 要求生产者在其产品的整个生命周期内对其产品负责.
3. 商品定价应反映其生产对环境和公众健康的影响.
4. Make recycling and composting mandatory, universally accessible and less expensive than garbage disposal.
5. 要求商品必须经久耐用，易于修理、重复利用、循环利用或制成堆肥.
6. 禁止销售不容易回收或堆肥的一次性物品, including packaging, plastic bags and food service ware.
7. 投资兴建维修、再用、循环再造和堆肥设施，以支持循环经济.
8. 要求生产商在新产品中使用可回收和重复使用的材料, 鼓励企业和政府制定回收材料的采购标准.
9. 当废物被清除时，确保所有剩余的废物被安全处理.
10. Oppose the construction, expansion and subsidization of landfills, 垃圾焚烧炉和塑料转化为燃料的设施以“化学回收”为卖点.”