Shocking Recycling Facts

The amount of plastics, paper and metal that humans throw away each year -- even each month -- is alarming. All of this waste has a significant negative impact on the environment. Despite recycling being very easy, many people still do not do it.

Plastic

• Plastic bottles may be recycled into carpet.

  According to the Resource Conservation Management Program, recycling five two-liter bottles is enough to create one square foot of carpet. The average-sized living room could be carpeted with 1,200 soda bottles that have been recycled. One ton of plastic could save approximately two thousand gallons of gas.

Metal

• Aluminum cans take hundreds of years to decompose.

  It is important to recycle aluminum, because one can takes approximately 200 to 500 years to decompose. The energy saved from recycling one aluminum can is enough to power a TV for three hours or a 100-watt light bulb for twelve hours. Other metals, like steel are also recyclable. The energy saved by recycling one pound of steel is enough to power a 60-watt light bulb for 26 hours. The amount of energy it takes to power 18 million houses for a year is the amount of energy that is saved each year with steel recycling.

Paper

• The average person uses 580 pounds of paper annually.

  According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the average American uses nearly the equivalent of a 100-foot fir tree in paper and wood annually. The amount of paper that Americans throw away each year could build a wall 12 feet high that stretches across the country.

Glass

• Glass can be melted down to create neat knick-knacks.

  Any glass thrown in a landfill will still be around in a thousand years. Glass is not biodegradable and does not decompose. All glass is recyclable.