Pure Rubbish

The average American produces 4.5 pounds of trash per day. 4.5 pounds. (Some sources put it closer to 5.) That's a lot of rubbish, y'all.

Oscar is all of us.
Source: Muppet Wiki.
(There's a Muppet Wiki, y'all!)

Recycling takes a bit of a chunk out of that, and that's a good thing. But. But but but. There's a reason why "reduce" is the first step of the triangle. Recycling is great. Reusing is golden.

But reducing--that's magical. And not only because it lets you live lighter on the planet. It's also less stuff in your life--fewer things to keep track of, fewer things to pay for, less buyer's remorse, less stress over credit card bills--reducing can just make life a tad easier. And there's nothing not to like about that.

This is one time when it's great to be below average.