Every year, the United States generates a staggering 290 million tons of waste, with approximately 50% of that being sent straight to landfills. Globally, 2.01 billion tons of municipal waste are produced annually, a number expected to rise to 3.4 billion tons by 2050. The majority of this waste is composed of materials that could easily be recycled, repurposed, or restored, but instead, they end up in places that harm the environment.