Garbage Collection - Recycling - Landfills - Waste Disposal
Napa Valley, San Francisco North Bay, Ca. USA

 prevents the waste of potentially useful materials, reduces the consumption of raw materials and reduces energy usage, and hence greenhouse gas emissions, compared to virgin production.

Recyclable materials, also called "recyclables" or "recyclates", may originate from a wide range of sources including the home and industry. They include glass, paper, aluminium, asphalt, iron, textiles and plastics. Biodegradable waste, such as food waste or garden waste, is also recyclable with the assistance of micro-organisms through composting or anaerobic digestion.

There are two common household methods of recycling. In curbside collection, consumers leave presorted recyclable materials in front of their property to be collected by a recycling vehicle. This si thre main systme in the Napa Valley for most recyclibles such as cans, plastics, bottles, some metals, paper and yard waste. Electronics, computers and oil however must be tqken to a location to be recycled. With a "bring" or carry-in system, the householder takes the materials to collection points, such as transfer stations or civic amenity sites.

Recycling is beneficial in two ways: it reduces the inputs (energy and raw materials) to a production system and reduces the amount of waste produced for disposal.

A study conducted by the Technical University of Denmark found that in 80% of cases, recycling is the most efficient method to dispose of household waste.
Some materials like aluminum can be recycled indefinitely as there is no change to the materials. Other recycled materials like paper require a percentage of raw materials (wood fibers) to be added to compensate for the degradation of existing fibers. Recycling aluminium saves 95% of the energy cost of processing new aluminium  because the melting temperature is reduced from 900 °C to 600 °C. It is by far the most efficient material to recycle. Recycling plastic saves 70% of the energy used in creating new plastic, and paper recycling saves 40% of the energy required to make a new product.

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