Commentary – Completing the Cycle

Just a generation ago, Americans threw their household waste in one big trash can and sent it off to landfills. Today, recycling is part of the fabric of daily life. We sort and save; carefully putting our bottles curbside or carting them off to the nearest collection site. But what does it mean? Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator, Julia King, wonders if we’ve really learned the lesson, or if we’re just mouthing the words:

Epa to Release Nationwide Recycling Report

The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan has been able to work magic with its trash: turning virtually half of it into reusable products. That’s caught the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency. They’ll be highlighting 20 communities around the country that have had successful recycling programs in an effort to improve recycling nationwide. Ann Arbor is one of those cities. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert traveled there to see how it’s working: