How clear garbage bags reduce municipal waste by 27%

From Texas-sized trash islands in the Pacific to your local landfill, failure to deal with our waste properly is leading to ecological devastation. We often throw everything - even things that could be recycled - in the garbage. To combat this tendency, researchers in Halifax observed the effects of a Clear Bag Policy. It dictated that citizens must use a clear plastic bag for their trash, which would be rejected if it contained recyclable materials. They found the Clear Bag Policy reduced municipal waste by nine tonnes per week, and boosted recycling rates by three percent.