Let's literally talk about trash, even in an environmentally conscious society, no one really wants to talk about how they dispose of their trash and whether they recycle it or not. Either way, the next time you throw something in the trash, stop and think about where your trash ends up, probably in an overcrowded landfill. According to an estimated statistic taken in 2006, “55% (percent) of our waste will be buried in landfills, 33% (percent) will be recycled, and 12% (percent) will be burned in incinerators” (Human Footprint). Our waste, whether buried, burned or thrown away, should concern each and every one of us. As a result, most landfills built in the early 1930s were not properly designed to prevent leaks. Therefore, lickate, a toxic liquid created from waste, is known to leach into the air, contaminate groundwater, and seep into the soil, ultimately affecting our health and environment. Unfortunately, for our own health and our environment, once our waste is out of sight, it is also out of mind. I myself never thought twice about where my trash would end up until the City of Fresno started sending me notices about my trash. The first notice consisted of four pages of photos of my trash. As I flipped through each page, I thought about how we start consuming products and generating waste from the moment we are born. Imagine how much a person can consume in their lifetime, if my husband and I alone could produce four pages of garbage in a week. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported in an article that “the average person will produce about 4.6 pounds of waste per day, or about 1,600 pounds per year” (Wise Greek). These numbers only reflect the average......of the middle of the paper bottle......c then recycle it. We need to make a conscious effort to reduce consumption and reuse what we can to have the greatest impact” (Voices). We are therefore faced with a dilemma that will require a joint effort to save our environment. As previously noted, according to the EPA, from 1960 to 2008, the amount of waste created by each person nearly doubled, from 2.7 to 4.6 pounds per day per person. The most effective way to stop this trend is to prevent waste in the first place. It is time to wake up and realize our role in saving our planet. Unfortunately, for us, our future is linked to that of waste disposal and recycling. Since you are in the same situation, don't you think it is time to take an objective stance and reconsider recycling today because it is the last line of defense ?.