Garbage Is Good: Recycling in America

Construction Materials
Much of the waste leftover from building projects can be recycled. Gypsum can be
re-constituted as wallboard, asphalt used in the paving of roads, and concrete repurposed for road base and other applications. In this photo, workers at Sunset Scavenger in San Francisco, California work to comply with a 2006 city ordinance that mandates the recycling of construction materials. The measure is credited with dramatically reducing the tonnage sent to landfills.

• China's E-Waste Village