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NYC RecyclingNew York City may be at the top of its game when it comes to energy efficiency and working toward a greener future, but there is one crucial area where the Big Apple seriously lags behind: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/on-recycling-nyc-goes-from-leader-to-laggard.html" target="_blank">recycling</a>. Legislation was passed <a href="http://inhabitat.com/new-yorks-recycling-program-finally-getting-expanded/" target="_blank">last year</a> to overhaul the city's <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/laws/laws.shtml" target="_blank">recycling laws</a> passed way back in 1989, but exactly how far behind are we? Only half of the 14 million tons of waste we generate every year is recycled, and earlier this year, the <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">NRDC</a> found that while more than two dozen large and medium sized U.S. cities recycle all types of plastic containers, New York only <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/recycling_nyc.shtml" target="_blank">recycles</a> bottles and jugs. In a different study, this time by <a href="http://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/en/" target="_blank">Siemens AG</a>, found that New York ranked 16th out of 27 cities in efficiently handling its waste. One of the biggest culprits is take-out containers and disposable utensils, ubiquitous among the working lunch crowd.1
NYC RecyclingNew York City may be at the top of its game when it comes to energy efficiency and working toward a greener future, but there is one crucial area where the Big Apple seriously lags behind: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/on-recycling-nyc-goes-from-leader-to-laggard.html" target="_blank">recycling</a>. Legislation was passed <a href="http://inhabitat.com/new-yorks-recycling-program-finally-getting-expanded/" target="_blank">last year</a> to overhaul the city's <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/laws/laws.shtml" target="_blank">recycling laws</a> passed way back in 1989, but exactly how far behind are we? Only half of the 14 million tons of waste we generate every year is recycled, and earlier this year, the <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">NRDC</a> found that while more than two dozen large and medium sized U.S. cities recycle all types of plastic containers, New York only <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/recycling_nyc.shtml" target="_blank">recycles</a> bottles and jugs. In a different study, this time by <a href="http://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/en/" target="_blank">Siemens AG</a>, found that New York ranked 16th out of 27 cities in efficiently handling its waste. One of the biggest culprits is take-out containers and disposable utensils, ubiquitous among the working lunch crowd.2
NYC RecyclingNew York City may be at the top of its game when it comes to energy efficiency and working toward a greener future, but there is one crucial area where the Big Apple seriously lags behind: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/on-recycling-nyc-goes-from-leader-to-laggard.html" target="_blank">recycling</a>. Legislation was passed <a href="http://inhabitat.com/new-yorks-recycling-program-finally-getting-expanded/" target="_blank">last year</a> to overhaul the city's <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/laws/laws.shtml" target="_blank">recycling laws</a> passed way back in 1989, but exactly how far behind are we? Only half of the 14 million tons of waste we generate every year is recycled, and earlier this year, the <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">NRDC</a> found that while more than two dozen large and medium sized U.S. cities recycle all types of plastic containers, New York only <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/recycling_nyc.shtml" target="_blank">recycles</a> bottles and jugs. In a different study, this time by <a href="http://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/en/" target="_blank">Siemens AG</a>, found that New York ranked 16th out of 27 cities in efficiently handling its waste. One of the biggest culprits is take-out containers and disposable utensils, ubiquitous among the working lunch crowd.3
