The United States recycles as much as thirty percent of its solid waste; European countries like Sweden, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands however have recycling rates of as high as 60 percent. Here s a look at the most popular recycling programs today. Drop-Off Centers For Recyclables A drop-off center refers to a central location that s established to accept different types of recyclable materials. Reusing, reducing and recycling waste needs to start at home. Here are a few recycling tips that you can easily follow at home. Re-Use Scrap Paper, And Do Not Throw Your Old Newspapers Your old newspapers can still do a lot of helpful stuff. They can be reused for packing your valuables into your storage boxes, and can be used in your kitty litter box. How Recycling Benefits Society Among the many things that you can do to help protect the environment, recycling is one of the most popular things to do. Recycling refers to the re-processing of used items or waste products into reusable or new products. Recycling offers a number of eco-friendly and financial benefits. Styrofoam continues to be a commonly-used material, because it s used for padding in appliance packaging, and for storing different food items. Because of Styrofoam s highly-toxic nature, nearly two dozen cities in the United States have banned its use for whatever purpose. Neat Ideas For Recycling Styrofoam Instead of just throwing Styrofoam straight into the garbage bin, you can actually recycle this material, and create in into different items or products. It helps reduce the amount of garbage disposed in landfills, as well as reduces the need for building new landfills. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are over 10,000 municipal landfills, and more than 3,000 active urban landfills. Because most of today s modern landfills are tightly sealed, to protect the environment from possible contamination, they actually inhibit the natural degradation of organic waste materials. While many of us frown on plastic, the sad thing is that we're using more and more of them than ever before. If you're worried about the effects of plastic on the environment, here's how you can personally help. Try reusing plastic products as often as you can, or you may try using other alternatives such as paper or cloth.