11 Surprising Facts About the Things We Throw Away
One nation's trash could be put to much better use. We ponder what's being squandered.
By Katie Arnold-Ratliff
![Cans Cans](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-3-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
Had the estimated 32.7 billion aluminum cans tossed out in 2011 been redeemed at recycling centers, they could have netted about $820 million.
![Glasses Glasses](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-1-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
More than four million pairs of eyeglasses are trashed annually, according to Unite for Sight.
![Clothes Clothes](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-2-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
22.3 billion pounds of textiles, including clothing, were thrown away in 2010.
![Ribbon Ribbon](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-4-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
The roughly 38,000 miles of ribbon we toss each year is "enough to tie a bow around the Earth," points out California's department of recycling.
![Cars Cars](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-5-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
According to the Rubber Manufacturers of America, 1.3 billion pounds of tires wound up in landfills in 2009.
![Cell phones Cell phones](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-6-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
In 2010, Americans got rid of 152 million cell phones and other mobile devices, of which 135 million made their way to the trash.
![Shoes Shoes](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-7-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
Each year more than 350 million pairs of shoes march into landfills, according to the charity Shoes for the Cure.
![Tennis balls Tennis balls](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-8-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
Ditto nearly 20,000 tons of used tennis balls, says reBonus, a recycling business.
![CDs CDs](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-9-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
Americans manufacture about one billion CDs and DVDs annually, millions of which end up in the trash, says the CD Recycling Center of America.
![Bikes Bikes](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-10-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
Over ten million bikes are dumped into American and European landfills yearly, says Bicycles for Humanity.
![Books in the trash Books in the trash](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/201303/omag/201303-omag-nations-trash-11-284x426.jpg)
Illustration: Jose Luis Merino
15.8 million tons of reading material (books, magazines) and other paper products were trashed in 2010.
Next: Peter Walsh's 5 ways to declutter your home this weekend
Next: Peter Walsh's 5 ways to declutter your home this weekend
From the March 2013 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine