As the holidays have come and gone, hopefully many of us were able to create memories that will last long past the season. However, something also tends to linger after the holidays that isn’t welcomed ― waste. According to the National Environmental Education Foundation, online shopping generates 4.8 times more packaging waste than in-store purchases. But on a positive note, in 2022, more than 93% of all cardboard boxes and nearly 68% of paper consumed in the United States were recovered for recycling.
Although this recycling stat is a positive as we head into the new year, some others shine a light on the education, awareness and improved access that might be needed to get other categories near this mark.