Perhaps the most important aspect of any technology that betters the environment is getting people to adopt it, and making it easy for them to do so. That's why single-stream recycling is such an understated advancement.

Instead of having to separate aluminum from the glass and the plastic, homeowners can dump all the recyclables into one container, and machines will do the rest. A short video on Science Daily shows how the system works, using magnets, air blowers and optical scanners to separate the items.

The system is already in place in 27 Waste Management facilities throughout the country. And environmental scientists have noticed about a 30 percent increase in recycling in areas that have adopted the system.

The only thing better than this would be a system that can detect and separate the recyclables from the trash, but this is certainly a huge first step.