WHAT WE THROW AWAY
From June, 1987, to June, 1988, collectors from the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation picked up 1,173,000 tons of household refuse. To study its composition, a representative load of about 1,000 pounds of household refuse from different parts of the city was picked up on a route each day, then sorted into 16 categories. After 52 weeks of separating 144 tons, this was the breakdown:
CATEGORY % Leaves, grass 28.9 Misc. paper 23.3 Food waste 9.7 Glass 6.4 Tree trimming 6.2 Newspaper 5.4 Plastics 4.3 Inert materials* 3.4 Ferrous and bimetal 2.9 Cardboard 2.6 Lumber/wood 2.3 Textiles 1.8 Magazines 1.3 Leather/rubber 0.6 Aluminum 0.5 Home toxic materials 0.3
*Non-decomposables such as dirt and concrete
Source: Bureau of Sanitation, Dept. of Public Works, City of Los Angeles.
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