Tonya Huber For the Ruidoso News The average American throws away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year. That adds up to about nine million tons of reusable items that are sent into the waste stream, according to the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste. In 2012, Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash and recycled and compacted almost 87 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 34.5 percent recycling rate. On average, we recycled and compacted 1.51 pounds of our individual waste generation of 4.38 pounds per person per day, leaving 2.87 pounds per day to go to landfills or be incinerated. Every TerraCycle participant who joins the campaign to reduce waste expresses a common concern: "I wish I'd known about TerraCycle sooner!" If you are not already TerraCycling, join us now! Although resale shops like Sweet Charity Repeat Boutique are a good option for clothes that still have some fashion value, an alternative for shoes exists through TerraCycle. Each month take wearable shoes and boots to Coyote Howling, The footwear is shipped to TerraCycle headquarters to be sent to communities in dire need. Flip flops and sandals need not apply; TerraCycle sends shoes that can protect feet and carry the walker for miles in communities where many people travel by foot. And, as with all TerraCycle the shoes are re-used, recycled and up-cycled, Rebates are paid directly to the designated not-for-profit: Feed My Starving Children.