Americans produce millions of tons of waste in our communities every day. On waste collection days, we push carts to the curb and workers dump the substances into large trucks and tow them away. I still wonder if some even think about where the trash goes and the negative impacts it has. Some people, after finishing eating, throw leftover food, glasses and napkins in the same garbage containers. Do they ever think that the more we continue with this habit, the landfills will end up filling up? Or they will realize the consequences when these landfills are within walking distance of their homes. According to the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] report, in 2009 Americans produced 243 million tons of waste, about 4.3 pounds of waste per capita per day. If this pace continues, within 50 years, approximately 2,200 landfills existing today will reach their full capacity. . To make a difference, every family should reduce, reuse and recycle. If one family could make a difference, the entire community would have a huge positive outcome for the environment. Recycling refers to the process of collecting used materials that are considered waste and reprocessing them. In this process, materials collected for recycling are classified and processed to be used as raw materials for the manufacture of other new products. Reuse is different from recycling because it means using old products repeatedly while recycling means using the underlying elements of an old product as raw material to create new goods. While recycling seems promising in reducing the damage done to the environment, it does have some disadvantages. This process requires a lot of dedication to collect and rework the materials into raw form; therefore, reuse is a better option. Bottom...... center of paper......ng.Works Cited"Beverage Container Recycling: It's in Your Hands." Cal Recycling. April 29, 2011. Web. July 25, 2011. http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/CashingIn.htmFreudenrich, Craig. "How the landfill works." nd. Network. July 29, 2011. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental.green-science/landfill.htm/printableWilliams, T. Personal interview. July 19, 2011. “Serving Southwestern San Joaquin County.” Delta Disposal Solid Waste Management Inc. 2009. Web. July 25, 2011. http://www.tdswm.com “The City of Stockton has a mandatory recycling program for all residents.” Recycling program. July 11, 2011. Web. July 25, 2011. http://townofstockton.com/Services/Waste/recycle_program.htm “Wastes-Non-Hazardous Waste – Municipal Solid Waste.” Environmental Protection Agency. July 27, 2011. Web. July 29, 2011. http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm