The USA Does Not Care About Recycling

I recently took a trip to Toronto, Canada and I returned to Chicago ashamed of the lack of initiative and resources dedicated to recycling in this country much less the city of Chicago.

With Mayor Daley putting a halt to the city's blue bin recycling program at a time that it should be a priority makes me even angrier and I am sick of listening to his emotional outbursts on the news. Chicago can be such a beautiful city and should be setting an example for other cities to follow with an organized and efficient recycling program.

My visit to Canada revealed that a well organized recycling program, one that the communities seem to take advantage of and benefit from is not impossible to implement. 

Why doesn't our country care about recycling? Are people just too lazy?  I believe that the majority of people in this country simply do not care enough to demand it and our government does not care enough to enforce it.  

Cities like Chicago and New York should have a recycling bin on every other city block. Every home, every park, every business should all have a recycling bin.  Every where I turned I saw a recycling bin in Toronto.  In the grocery store, in Tim Hornton's (Canada's equivalent of McDonalds...but a healthier version), on every city block.

We really need to make recycling a part of our daily routine.  It doesn't take but a few minutes extra a day.  Every time you throw something away, ask yourself if it can be recycled.  If you have a cup of coffee and the cup can be recycled, hold onto it until you are near a recycle bin.  The same goes for a bottle of water...throw it in your bag until you can properly dispose of it in a recycling bin. 

We should not be relying on the government to implement this.  The more we recycle, the more resources will be needed as a result to process all of the recyclable materials. 

Do you recycle?  If so, what percentage ?