Garbage

I find this Emily Gertz piece about Americans generating garbage remarkable.

We create 20% more trash per person than we did in 1990!!!

Where is that coming from? The proliferation of plastic bags you get at the store? Do we throw away more usable goods than we used to?

I didn't catch the "Marketplace Money" series where Tess Vigeland carried around her trash, but it's a useful exercise. Something has to be done about the creation of so trash. I would argue that utility fees for garbage should rise, but given the negligible effect rising gas prices have had on driving, I don't know that it would matter.