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10 Facts About Recycling

From aluminum soda cans and glass jars to old newspapers and rolled-up magazines, the most commonly recycled materials are household products and everyday items no longer of any use. Recycling not only transforms waste into valuable resources, but also benefits the environment on both a local and global level. The effort saves energy, prevents pollution, decreases greenhouse gases and conserves natural resources.

  1. Aluminum Cans

    • In the United States, used aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled item, but other types of aluminum are just as worthy. Siding, gutters, car components, storm window frames and lawn furniture are often overlooked recyclable items. Recycling one aluminum can saves the equivalent of a ½ gallon of gasoline or enough energy to watch television for 3 hours.

    Paper

    • According to the EPA, recycle 1 ton of paper and save 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 17 full-grown trees. Overall, recycling paper instead of using new materials produces 74 percent less air pollution and uses 50 percent less water.

    Newspapers

    • Recycling a single run of the Sunday newspaper in a major metropolitan city saves an average of 75,000 trees. If every city in the United States recycled newspapers, the country saves about 250,000,000 trees on a yearly basis.

    Glass Bottles

    • Despite being recyclable, Americans toss out enough glass bottles and jars each month to fill up a towering skyscraper. Recycling one glass bottle not only saves the same amount of energy to power a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours, but also creates 20 percent less air pollution and 50 percent less water pollution compared to producing a new bottle comprised of raw materials.

    Trash

    • The United States generates the most trash in the world with an estimated 1,609 pounds per person every year. Each American is responsible for throwing out around 1,200 pounds of compostable organic garbage on a yearly basis.

    Packaging

    • For every $10 spent on purchased goods, packaging makes up 10 percent (or $1). Representing around 65 percent of household trash, packaging racks up heavy disposal costs. For every ton of trash, it costs $30 to recycle, $50 to transport it to a landfill and around $70 to incinerate.

    Hershey's Kisses

    • The amount of aluminum foil (all of which is completely recyclable) used to wrap the estimated 80,000,000 Hershey's Kisses produced each day is enough to blanket more than 50 acres of space--the equivalent of nearly 40 football fields.

    Motor Oil

    • Despite getting dirty, motor oil never loses its purpose or wears out. Americans can reduce their dependence on imported oil by reusing old motor oil after it undergoes a recycling and re-refining process.

    Typical Families

    • The average American family consumes 182 gallons of soda, 29 gallons of juice, 104 gallons of milk and 26 gallons of bottled water per year. All of these items are recyclable.

    Styrofoam Cups

    • A common misconception of Polystyrene (#6) Styrofoam cups is that it is recyclable. Every year, Americans toss out 25,000,000,000 Styrofoam cups--enough to circle the Earth a total of 436 times.

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