Insider Monkey

25 Cleanest Cities in the U.S.

Ramish Cheema
9 min read

In this piece, we will take a look at the 25 cleanest cities in the U.S. For more cities, head on over to 5 Cleanest Cities in the U.S.

The U.S. is one of the world's largest polluters in terms of carbon emissions. Looking at global carbon dioxide emissions by country, data from the European Union shows that America emitted 4.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2021, coming in second only to China, whose emissions stood at a whopping 12.5 billion tons. At the same time, America also ranks second when it comes to plastic waste generated. Data from 2010, the latest year for which such statistics are available, shows that the U.S.'s plastic waste output stood at 37.8 million tonnes, coming second once again to China whose output stood at 59 million tonnes.

However, America isn't a poor performer in all areas. For instance, a study of air pollution measured through particulate concentrations in the air saw America rank among the top thirty countries in the world with a PM2.5 concentration of 8.9 μg/m³. These results are due to stringent regulations as well as less reliance on polluting means of generating electricity such as coal.

Additionally, the growth of technology in every facet of American society has also made its way into trash collection. One controversial city, which has also been in the news these days due to high crime rates, is San Francisco. San Francisco is one of the largest cities in America in terms of its population which sits close to a million people. It also has some of the highest income in America, with the latest estimates from the Federal Reserve showing that per capita income stood at more than $160,000 in 2021. At the same time, San Francisco also ranks third in the list of cities with the highest trash, as data from the Census Bureau's American Housing Survey (AHS) shows that out of the 1.7 million households polled, nearly 20% reported seeing litter or trash within half a block of their home.

The City is making efforts to change these statistics. San Francisco has some of the highest rates of recycling in the country, with data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showing that San Francisco recycles up to 80% of its waste - the highest in America and tying with Los Angeles which also recycles 80%. A large portion of San Francisco's success is attributable to its partnership with the waste management firm Recology Inc. The firm achieves high recycling rates by communicating effective product and packaging designs to designers that can easily be recycled. Recology's Recycle Center also uses automated sorting, gravity, and rotating disks to separate differently sized lighter materials. The machines also separate paper from plastics by using light screens, while glass, metal, and aluminum are separated through shredding and compressed air, while magnets pick out metal cans.

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