Recyclables are products or materials that can be separated from the waste stream and used again in place of raw materials. Since colonial times, Americans have recycled a host of materials, ranging from corn husks used for mattress stuffing to old clothes used for quilts. Today, household recyclables include newspapers, mixed waste paper, glass, tin, aluminum, steel, copper, plastics, batteries, yard debris, wood, and used oil. Commercial recyclables include scrap metals, concrete, plastics, corrugated cardboard, and other nonferrous scrap material. The list of recyclables will likely expand as technology meets a growing demand for more recycling in response to increased consumer awareness and waste disposal costs, dwindling landfill space, and more stringent waste management regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has emphasized the importance of diverting recyclables from the waste stream by endorsing integrated waste management, in which municipal solid waste is managed according to a hierarchy of...