垃圾回收利用
From industry to government, from schools to households, America's commitment to recycling has helped keep its communities clean and its economy strong. Federal agencies are further reducing waste generation, increasing recycling and purchases of recycled products. Read the following fact sheet and see what we can do to better protect our natural resources, improve our quality of life, and strengthen our economy.
从工业领域到政府部门，从学校到家庭，美国在垃圾回收利用方面的努力为保持社区清洁和经济强盛提供了支持。联邦部门正进一步减少废弃物的产生，增加回收利用，促进回收产品的购买。阅读以下描述现实的文章，看看我们能做什么以更好地保护自然资源，提高我们的生活质量并坚固我们的经济。
Recycling is one of the best environmental success stories of the late 20th century. Today, curbside recycling collection programs reach the majority of the American population. In fact more people recycle household waste than vote in elections. This nationwide, grassroots effort creates an immense flow of materials. Recycling, including composting, diverted 57 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 1996, up from 34 million tons in 1990 --- a 67 percent increase in just 6 years. In 2005, the diversion rate resulting from recycling and composting is projected to reach 83 million tons, or 35 percent of all solid waste.
垃圾回收是20世纪后期最成功的环境保护事例之一。如今，道路垃圾回收计划已经触及美国大多数人。事实上，回收家具垃圾的人比参加竞选投票的人更多。全国范围内，普通群众们的努力带来了大量的物质材料。垃圾回收，包括混合堆肥，在1996年改变了5700吨原来要进入废物填充地或焚烧炉的材料的命运，这一数据在1990年为3400万吨——仅仅6年增长了67%。由垃圾回收和混合堆肥带来的材料处理的转换率，预计到2005年为8500万吨，即所有固体废物的35%。
To understand how large this amount is, imagine recycling boxes 3 feet long(27 cubit feet) filled with recovered materials stacked end to end, forming a bridge from the earth to the moon. In 1996, these boxes would reach three quarters of the way to the moon. When we achieve our 2005 recycling goal of 35 percent, the boxes of recyclables will reach the moon.
要理解这一数量有多大，想象装满回收材料的3英尺长（27立方英尺）的回收箱一个接一个整齐地推成一列，形成从地球到月亮的桥梁。在1996年，这些箱子可以达到这座桥的3/4。当我们达到2005年35%的回收目标时，填满可回收物的箱子就能达到月球了
Is recycling worth all the effort? Is profitability the only bottom line? Some observers suggest that current profitability is the only measure of success. This perspective focuses solely on how an individual recycling program impacts a community's total waste management costs, compared to the alternative of sending everything to a landfill or incinerator. Other observers suggest a broader view of the costs and benefits of recycling.
垃圾回收值得这所有的努力吗？创造利润是唯一的底线吗？一些观察员提出，眼下的利润是衡量成功的唯一标准。这种观点只考虑一个单独的回收计划如何影响一个社区的全部垃圾管理费用，与之相比的是另一种选择，即将一切都送往废物填充地或焚烧炉造成的费用。其他一些观察员建议使用更开阔的视角看待垃圾回收利用的费用和益处。
Although experience differs from one recycling program to another, the most successful programs, including many with the highest diversion rates, are cost-effective and, indeed, profitable. Inevitably, markets for collected recyclables go up and down. To somewhat insulate recycling programs from severe market swings, the efficiency of recycling programs must continually be improved. One of the goals for the recycling community in the next decade must be to identify and replicate the factors that determine success.
虽然大部分成功的垃圾回收计划经验不一，但是，包括很多具有高垃圾转化率的计划在内，都是经济上可行并确实创造了利润。回收物品的市场不可避免地起伏不定。为了一定程度上防止垃圾回收计划受到市场严重摇摆不定的影响，垃圾回收计划的效率必须不断提高。在接下来的十年里，参与垃圾回收的社区的目标之一是，鉴定并复制传播决定成功的因素。
While efforts to learn from and adopt the methods used by the most efficient programs are ongoing throughout the country, it is important to recognize the many economic and environmental benefits recycling already achieves, many of these benefits might not be apparent to casual observers, might be clouded by municipal accounting and taxing peculiarities, or might not be reflected in the market prices of contracts between cities and recyclers, the full energy savings from recycling used beverage containers, for example, is not included in the prices negotiated in a curbside recycling contract.
举国上下都在努力学习和采用最高效的垃圾回收计划所运用的办法，那么发现垃圾回收已经取得的很多经济和环境的好处就尤为重要。很多好处可能在不细致的观察员看来不明显，或者因为市政的会计结算和税收特点难以理解，或者在城市和垃圾回收人员的合同的市场价格上没能反映出来。比如，回收利用饮料容器节省的全部能源就没有包括在道路垃圾回收合同协商的价格中。
