23 Percent Of Americans Don’t Recycle

Quick fact: Recycling materials can take as little as 5 percent of the energy you'd wind up expending if you produced them from virgin sources, as is the case with aluminum, which means you not only conserve already-limited resources, but you also curtail potential atmosphere-warming carbon emissions—95 percent, in some cases.

But almost one-quarter of American adults don't recycle, according to a new Harris Poll. And while you might think the young'uns might be more environmentally progressive, think again. About three in 10 respondents aged 18 to 30 don't separate their glass, aluminum, and paper from their garbage, compared with 19 percent of seniors aged 62 and older.

The poll also revealed a stark regional division across the U.S. or A.: East and West coasters were more likely to recycle (88 percent and 86 percent, respectively), while only 67 percent of people living in the South and 70 percent in the Midwest bothered to do so.

Among the anti-recyclers, one in six said they don't recycle because it wasn't available in their area; 12 percent, on the other hand, said it takes too much effort, plus it costs more to recycle in their neighborhoods. Another 11 percent said recycling was, well, rubbish and doesn't make a difference; 6 percent said they were too busy and 5 percent found recycling too difficult. ::Environmental Leader