By Laura Cantral  |  Trash. Trash has always been a problem, and now that problem is getting even bigger all over the world. Global and local circumstances now mandate that we get creative on how we reckon with waste, including in our own backyard.

The New York Times recently reported that recycling efforts across the country are collapsing. For cities and towns, costs to run their recycling programs have skyrocketed after a crash in the global market. Communities used to make money selling cardboard, bottles, and glass, but now they get little or nothing for the material. At times, they even have to pay processors to take it away.

Small towns in Florida have canceled entire curbside pick-up programs. Philadelphia now burns about half of its recyclables, while city residents grow more concerned about air quality. Every plastic bottle dropped in a blue bin at the Memphis airport is thrown away. And in Charleston County, a month of recycling now sits under a tarp at the Bees Ferry Landfill.