Writing Samples California Recycling California is unlikely to reach the goal it has set of recycling half its waste by the end of this year. Up to half the state's cities and counties could miss the mark, observers say. For the most part, the barriers are not technical.
Some communities already recycle more trash than required by law.
The town of Monte Sereno, for instance, recycles 65 percent of its waste. Recycling programs now collect everything from cans and newspaper to plastics and old computers. Manufacturers turn these recyclables into a variety of products from toilet paper to clipboards made out of old circuit boards, futon mattresses made from pop bottles, and plastic lumber that can sit out in the rain for years without rotting. But Californians are not recycling all they can. There are obstacles that keep communities from recycling all their trash.