The per-capita generation of cardboard boxes, leftover lettuce, grass clippings, ripped sofas, obsolete computers and other things we throw out has also fallen. In this case, the peak came in 2000 at 4.72 pounds per American, per day. Today, that figure is back to where it was in the late 1980s — 4.34 pounds per day.
Meanwhile, recycling rates have climbed. As a result, a slight majority — 54 percent and shrinking — of today’s solid waste goes into landfills. And some kinds are almost ready to be reclassified as resources rather than as refuse: Recycling rates for paper and cardboard top 62 percent, with compostable yard trimmings close behind at nearly 60 percent. Unfortunately, though, just 7 percent of plastic gets recycled. So, while taking out the trash may not be as common in the future, it’s not ready to disappear from honey-dos yet.