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It has become an oft-repeated fact that Americans are the world’s leading generators of garbage, consuming and throwing away more goods per capita than any other nation on the planet.

However, what might come as a surprise to those of us here in Naples is the fact that each resident generates nearly 10 pounds of garbage every day, nearly twice the national average. That would seem to imply that Neapolitans are among the biggest trash-hoarders on the globe. Not a very flattering revelation.

Which leads to a very pertinent question as Earth Day — April 22 this year — and the final weeks of winter resident season upon us: Are you recycling?

If the answer is no, it might be educational to take note of the present situation in the city that is our namesake: Naples, Italy. There, legislation for the recycling of waste has been totally ignored. All of the city’s existing landfills are now full, creating a monumental trash crisis. Mountains of garbage are piled in the streets and toxins are seeping into the soil, threatening the city’s water supply.

Fortunately for Naples, Florida, we have a strong curbside recycling program available, which keeps reusable materials in circulation and eases the strain on the landfill in Golden Gate.

But are we making use of our recycling program’s full potential? Are there ways that we can do better?

For starters, it helps to know what products and materials are recyclable. These days that includes most products that you buy at the grocery store, says the Collier County Public Utilities division. Collier County accepts all

n Plastic jugs, jars, bottles and containers labeled 1 through 7

n All paper products that are not metallic, including newspapers, paper bags, office paper, junk mail, phone books, catalogs, magazines, cereal boxes and cardboard (flattened and cut to 3-by-3 foot size).

n Tin and aluminum cans, which should always go in the bin. Unlike other recyclable materials that lose their viability in the recycling process, these can be recycled over and over again. If you think your can isn’t important, remember that Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild every commercial jetliner in our country.

n Plastic grocery bags, food trays, and egg cartons.

Luckily, Collier County uses what’s known as a single-stream recycling system, which means the various items don’t need to be separated; they can be tossed into the bin together for collection. This makes it much more convenient than it was in the past and makes it difficult to argue against recycling by using the excuse that it’s too big of a hassle.

“It’s just amazing when you realize how much you can recycle,” said Cindy Dobyns, an avid recycler who moved to Naples nine years ago with her husband. She takes pride in keeping her Willoughby Acres home ”green.”

“We’re surprised when we’re chatting with other people who don’t recycle, because here in Collier County they make it so easy. It all goes in that yellow-and-green bin, and hardly anything goes in the trash anymore,” she said.

Because of the high volume of junk mail that she puts into the recycling bin, Dobyns invested in a small paper shredder both to destroy any sensitive information and to save space in the bin.

With such a proliferation of recyclable items, it’s easy to get carried away. Soon the kitchen sink could end up in the bin. Margie Hapke, the public information coordinator for Collier County’s Public Utilities division, weighed in on a few things that sometimes end up in the recycling bin that don’t belong there.

“You don’t want to put any food-contaminated materials in the cart. They should be wiped out to take off any food residue. Pizza boxes are recyclable, but if there’s a lot of cheese and sauce on the box toss it in the garbage. Also, the plastic bags inside cereal boxes, old garden hoses and extension cords — these aren’t recyclable and should go in the trash,” Hapke advised.

Hapke also commented on a common pest that often ends up mixed into recycling bins and can be a problem to weed out: Styrofoam packing peanuts. These little popcorn-like bits of polystyrene are a no-no, but they can easily be reused for packing. Rather than send them to the landfill you might consider taking them to a mailing or packaging business nearby to keep them in circulation.

No sense in taking up precious landfill space with all your unwanted electronics, either. Computers, telephones, TVs, radios, stereos, fax machines and more can all be recycled as well. You can drop them off at the Naples Recycling Center (2640 W. Enterprise Ave) free of charge, or arrange to have them picked up at curbside on regular collection days. The only requirement: Call 48 hours in advance to schedule, 252-2380.

Once you’ve set your sights on recycling, you’ll begin to find all sorts of ways to thwart the march to the landfill. It just takes a small shift in habit.