Garbage Is Good: Recycling in America

Plastic Bottles
According to the EPA, Americans now recycle at record levels, nearly 85 million tons of trash in 2007 alone. Plastic bottles and containers, one of the more common domestic recyclables, can be re-used or converted into other useful products, depending on the type of plastic involved. Soft drink and water bottles, for example, are often made of polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which can be shredded and used as the raw material for a range of products that would otherwise contain polyester.

• China's E-Waste Village