Your 102 Ton Garbage Legacy

I learned about my 102-ton garbage legacy while reading Garbology by Edward Humes.  Simply put, the average American will produce 102 tons of trash in their lifetime.  You're probably thinking that there's no way you could possibly make that much waste in your lifetime.  The truth is, you can, you do, and you will.  

The average American makes 7.1 pounds of trash per day.  You don't create that much waste?  Are you sure?  Think about what you are rolling out to your curb each week.  An 8 to 10-gallon kitchen trash bag can easily accommodate around 15 pounds of trash.  Most kitchen bags are 13 gallons.  If you divide 15 pounds of trash by 9 (nine because it is the median number of gallons) you get 1.67 pounds of trash per gallon.  If you use the standard 13-gallon bag, that equates to about 22 pounds of garbage.  How many bags are in your garbage can each week?  You also need to add in your recycling weight, because it is still waste after all.    What are you throwing away at work?  At the restaurant?  At a fast food establishment?  With our buy and toss, disposable lifestyle, 7 pounds adds up pretty quick.   

Each day in America, we send 740,000 tons of material to our landfills.  We bury $50 billion in raw materials each year.  

We produce more garbage when the economy is doing well.  More garbage means more money spent, despite our massive debt and lack of savings.  I think there is a correlation between several of the epidemics that our country is currently experiencing.  The amount of garbage produced is on the rise, credit card debt is on the rise, spending is on the rise, obesity is on the rise, yet saving money and investing in retirement is declining.  It would seem that Americans are suffering from an unhealthy sense of entitlement.  Maybe I'm old fashioned in my ways, but life is easier when you follow the rules.  What are the rules?  Work hard, pay your bills, save your money, live within your means, and be responsible for your actions.  Sound boring?  It's not.

What are you going to do about your 102-ton legacy?