Facts About Recycling Paper & Plastic

Americans use over 80 million tons of paper and 14 million tons of plastics each year. Strained resources and global warming have prompted many to recycle the most commonly used household and business products, plastic and paper. Both can be recycled, but there are factors to consider, such as the type of plastic and paper and the availability of recycling plants.

Plastic vs. Paper

• Recycling one pound of plastic uses 91 percent less energy than recycling one pound of paper.

Newsprint

• Old newspapers can be recycled into paper bags, copy paper and cardboard.

Non-Recyclable Papers

• Thermal fax paper, stickers, waxed paper (including milk and juice cartons), plastic laminated paper, paper contaminated by food or oil, sanitary products and carbon paper are non-recyclable.

Recycling Plastic

• Codes and markers on plastic containers indicate the type of plastic and do not guarantee that the container can be recycled.

Recycling Paper

• Seventeen trees are saved and 50 percent less water is used when one ton of paper is made from recycled print.

Energy from Plastic

• When plastic is recycled as burned fuel; it is a great energy resource because of its high petroleum content.

Limits of Recycling Paper

• Paper can only be recycled eight times before it is unusable due to the breakdown of fibers.