The average American produces about 4 pounds of trash per day. Therefore a family of four produces approximately 16 pounds of trash per day! No wonder we moan and groan when the garbage needs to be taken out. However, the amount of waste your family takes to the curb each week can be cut in half. Imagine that.

According to the EPA 245 million tons of garbage was produced by residents, institutions and businesses in 2005. Of that 245 million tons of waste, 34.2 percent was paper, 13.1 percent consisted of yard trimmings, 11.7 percent of food scraps, 11.9 percent plastics, 7.6 percent metals, 7.3 percent rubber, leather, textiles, 5.2 percent glass, 5.7 percent wood and 3.4 percent other.

Now, take a look in your trash bin. How much is paper, plastic, metal, glass, food scraps or yard/plant trimmings? Depending on your town or village you may be able to recycle all of these items. Below are a few recycling tips for Cayuga County's towns and villages.

€ If you live in the city of Auburn you can recycle: Cardboard: corrugated cardboard boxes, paper grocery bags, cereal, cracker, cake mix, pasta, shoe and tissue boxes, and paper egg cartons. Newspaper: phone books, magazines, catalogs, newspapers and newspaper inserts. Glass: clean glass from food and beverages that is clear, green or brown. Metal Containers: clean food and juice cans and clean aluminum foil. Plastic Containers: numbers 1-7. These can be found on the bottom of all plastic containers. Yard Waste: picked up in May, July, September and November.

€ If you live in the town of Owasco you can recycle: corrugated cardboard, newspaper, office paper, magazines, tin/steel cans, aluminum foil and cans, glass bottles and jars, No. 2 plastics and yard waste.

€ Village of Moravia: corrugated cardboard, newspaper, tin/steel cans, aluminum foil and cans, glass bottles and jars, No. 2 plastics and yard waste.

€ Village of Cayuga: corrugated cardboard, newspaper, tin/steel cans, aluminum foil and cans, glass bottles and jars, No. 2 plastics and yard waste (April-Nov.)

€ Town of Ira: corrugated cardboard, newspaper, tin/steel cans, aluminum foil and cans, glass bottles and jars, and No. 1-7 plastics.

€ Town of Ledyard: corrugated cardboard, newspaper, tin/steel cans, aluminum foil and cans, glass bottles and jars, No. 1-7 plastics and yard waste. Also a shredder is available for office paper.

€ Town of Cato: corrugated cardboard, clean cardboard with out wax, newspaper, office paper, magazines, tin/steel cans, aluminum foil and cans, glass bottles and jars, and No. 1-7 plastics.

For all Cayuga County residents: You can participate in Cayuga County collection events, which includes the home electronics and propane tank collection event, tire round up event, and the household hazardous waste event. Call 255-1183 for more information.

If you live in a town or village that was not listed and would like more information about your local recycling center, call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County at 255-1183 to obtain a free Cayuga County solid waste guide.

Renee Jensen is a community educator of environmental issues at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County