Despite our society´s ever-increasing technological prowess, we live in a world that is fundamentally defined by finite resources. Almost every consumer item we use, from the cell phones in our pockets, to the cars we drive, to the homes we live in is made from a collection of raw materials that were mined, manufactured, and transported to wherever we eventually purchased them. As our economy has grown and our consumer appetites have become more demanding, the amount of “stuff” that we purchase continues to grow on a yearly basis.

Consider the following statistics that shed light on the extent of our consumerism:

• The average home in the United States has over 300,000 items;
• The average size of homes in the United States have tripled in size over the past five decades, in order to make room for the amount of stuff we purchase;
• Despite the fact that our homes are larger and our families smaller, around 10 percent of Americans continue to rent offsite storage facilities;
• The average family in the United States spends around $1,700 on clothes purchases every year. At the same time, the average individual in America throws away 65 pounds of clothing every year!

Consuming more “stuff” almost inevitably results in more waste ending up in our landfills. Across the United States, we collectively create upwards of 292 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) each year. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that half of that waste eventually ends up in landfills, and only about one-third of our municipal solid waste is ever recycled.

In a world of finite resources, this pattern of increasing consumption and continually adding the amount of waste we send to landfills is obviously not sustainable. Reducing our demand for the world´s resources is a first step that everyone can take. Instead of purchasing a new phone every six months, keeping the one we have for as long as it continues to work is one simple strategy to reduce pressure on the world´s limited resources. Recycling the items that we do eventually throw away is another important aspect of transitioning towards a more sustainable civilization.

Why is Recycling Important?

Recycling is defined as the action of converting waste into reusable material. Fortunately, an enormous amount of the consumer items that we throw into the garbage can every day can be converted into beneficial material through the process of recycling. Apple cores and banana peels can be composted into fertile top soil. Junk mail and old college notebooks can be turned into newspapers, paper cups, or other similar materials. And the dozens of heavy metals inside our phones, computers, TVs, and other electronic devices can also be salvaged, smelted, and recycled into new electronics products.

Recycling is important for several different reasons. It obviously reduces the need to harvest or mine new raw materials to fuel our global consumer economy. This prevents pollutions, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, reduces pressure on our already overburdened landfills, and can actually save money for both industries and the end consumer. Though much has been written recently about the challenges that come with recycling certain types of plastics now that China and other Asian countries have drastically reduced importation of recyclable materials, other types of recycling continue to grow in the United States. For example, it is estimated that Americans throw away upwards of $60 million in precious metals like gold or silver in the cell phones that we throw into the trash each year.

Possibilities for Recycling in San Carlos, California

So how exactly can business owners, homeowners, and individuals in San Carlos commit to recycling the vast majority of the consumer items we use? The City Government of San Carlos offers free pickup for organic waste such as food scraps. According to the City Government,

“in California, landfills are the third largest source of methane, a super pollutant 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide.  Organics like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what Californians dump in landfills. Reducing short-lived Climate Super Pollutants like organic waste will have the fastest impact on the climate crisis.”

Though it might be easy to separate your coffee grounds from the rest of your trash, what about those large, bulky items that might be harder to recycle? Putting your aluminum cans and junk mail into the recyclable bin is relatively easy, but finding a way to recycle and old refrigerator or a bulky armchair is significantly more challenging for the average person.

Enter Junk King of San Carlos. We understand that getting rid of large, bulky junk items can pose a headache for homeowners, especially if you want to ensure that those large items are properly recycled, instead of simply being sent to our local dump. The difficulty of getting rid of old furniture, energy inefficient appliances, and other bulky trash items often means that many resident of San Mateo County end up storing excess “stuff” in their basements, garages, or other odd areas of their home. Other people may resort to illegal dumping or hire a junk removal crew that will simply take those old items directly to the landfill.

Here at Junk King of San Carlos, we provide professional junk removal services to the Peninsula area of San Mateo County, including to residents and business owners of:

• Atherton
• Belmont
• La Honda
• Loma Mar
• Los Altos
• Menlo Park
• Mountain View
• Palo Alto
• Pescadero
• Portola Valley
• Redwood City
• San Bruno
• San Carlos
• San Gregorio
• Stanford

We are proud to be the top-rated residential junk removal company in the region, and we make every effort to ensure that the items we pick up can be beneficially reused by others. We are 100 percent committed to doing our part in reducing the amount of “stuff” we send to landfills. We believe that recycling can help us in the process of designing waste out our economy, and thus reducing our overall environmental footprint.

Over years of operation, we have developed several partnerships and relationships with donation centers, thrift stores, and other similar businesses across the Peninsula. If your old furniture or other bulky junk items are truly past the point of reuse, we also have longstanding relationships with recycling centers across the Bay Area. We are proud to say that 60 percent of all the junk items we pick up either get recycled or reused.

Our owner, Michael Andreacchi, started Junk King as part of a wider effort to help people and businesses in the Bay area reduce their environmental footprint and help local communities minimize the waste that goes into their landfills. Today, homeowners of residents of San Carlos and the surrounding communities can rest assured that the junk we pick up will most likely stay out of our area landfills.

We also believe in providing top-notch customer service so that getting rid of your junk in an eco-friendly way is as efficient and effortless as possible. Simply call us at 1-888-5865(JUNK) or consider booking us online here.  Our Junk King team will call you 15-30 minutes before your scheduled pick up, offer up-front pricing and leave you feeling like the weight of your clutter has been lifted off your shoulders. Call us today to help free up space in your home while simultaneously lowering your environmental footprint!