How Much Trash is in Texas? Y'all Need a Bigger Landfill!
Texas: Everything's bigger in the Lone Star State, including, apparently, the amount of trash they produce. Now, before you start pointin' fingers (because littering is bad, folks), let's dig into this trashy situation with a little Texan drawl and a whole lot of truth.
Trash by the Ton: Texans Like to Throw Things Away (A Lot)
We're talkin' millions of tons, folks. Millions! A whopping 38.32 million tons of trash found its way to Texas landfills in 2021. That's enough to fill the Astrodome... multiple times. That's also about 7.09 pounds per Texan, every single day.
Do the math: That's like tossing out a whole watermelon seed by seed, every day. Or, you know, a bunch of perfectly good perfectly recyclable aluminum cans.
What's in This Texan Trashcan?
Well, it ain't all ten-gallon hats and chewed bubblegum (though there might be a surprising amount of that too). Here's a breakdown of the typical Texan trash situation:
- Food Scraps and Yard Waste: Hey, gotta keep those barbeque pits fueled and those yards lookin' sharp.
- Packaging: Everything comes bigger in Texas, including the amount of packaging it takes to hold it all.
- Plastic, Plastic, Everywhere: Bottles, bags, that weird plastic thingy that holds your bread together – Texas and plastic are BFFs (not in a good way).
The Great Texas Trash Debate: Landfill or Recycle?
Here's the thing, Texas: Landfills are filling up faster than a bluebonnet field in spring. Recycling is our best bet to keep Texas lookin' pretty and avoid becoming a giant trash heap.
But wait, there's more! Texas doesn't exactly have the best recycling rates. Some folks might say it's easier to just wrangle a wild armadillo than separate their plastic from their paper.
So, What Can We Do About This Trash Avalanche?
Here's the good news, partner: There's a whole lotta ways to fight back against this trash tide:
- Reduce: Buy less stuff, reuse what you have, and avoid single-use plastics like it's a herd of longhorns stampeding towards you.
- Recycle: It ain't rocket science, folks. Separate your cans from your banana peels. Your future self (and the environment) will thank you.
- Compost: Food scraps? Yard waste? Don't toss it, boss it! Turn it into nutrient-rich compost for your garden. It's like giving back to Mother Nature, Texas-style.
Look, Texas, we all love our state. Let's keep it lookin' grand by taking charge of our trash. Remember, a clean Texas is a happy Texas, and a happy Texas is a Texas that don't gotta build a landfill the size of Oklahoma.
