Recycling

1. Recycling Recycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its useful life and using all or part of it to make another product. The internationally recognized symbol for recycling includes three arrows moving in a triangle. Each arrow represents a different part of the recycling process, from collection to re-manufacture to resale. But what does all this have to do with you? Well, recycling is a simple way that you, as a consumer, can help out the environment, create a profitable market for recycled goods and help preserve natural resources from being depleted. So…let’s get involved!

2. How? If you haven’t already seen them… Murray and Carpenter Wells needs a group of residents who environmentally active to help the recyclables to the recycling center. This is the first step to bettering our world around us!

3. Why? • Recycling reduces our waste sent to landfills. Also, making new products out of recycled ones reduces the amount of energy needed in production. The U.S. EPA estimates that 75 percent of our waste is recyclable, which goes well beyond what you toss in your recycling bin at home or at school. • Recycling serves two key purposes: • It keeps valuable materials, such as aluminum and paper, out of landfills so this material can be reused in other forms and not wasted. • It prevents hazardous materials and chemicals, such as lead and mercury, from ending up in landfills, where they can contaminate soil and leach into our drinking water. • Because of hazardous risks associated with our trash, it’s important to recycle your products – including those you may not initially think of recycling. This includes batteries, electronics, motor oil, paint and any product that has “Caution” or “Warning” on the label.

4. The Facts About Paper and Paper Recycling • In 2008, the amount of paper recovered for recycling averaged 340 pounds for every person in the U.S. • In 2008, a record-high 57.4 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. • Every ton of paper recycled saves more than 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space. • By 2012, the paper industry’s goal is to recover 60 percent of all the paper Americans consume for recycling, which is approximately 60 million tons of paper. • One million tons of recovered paper is enough to fill more than 14,000 railroad cars. • More than 37 percent of the fiber used to make new paper products in the United States comes from recycled sources. • 87 percent (approximately 268 million) of Americans have access to curbside or drop-off paper recycling programs.

5. Plastic Recycling Facts • According to the Beverage Marketing Corp, the average American consumed 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976. In 2006 that number jumped to 28.3 gallons. • Today, 80 percent of Americans have access to a plastics recycling program. • More than 2.3 billion pounds of plastic bottles were recycled in 2007. Although the amount of plastic bottles recycled in the U.S. has grown every year since 1990, the actual recycling rate remains steady at around 24 percent. • In 2007, more than 325 million pounds of wide-mouth plastic containers were recovered for recycling. (This included deli containers, yogurt cups, etc.)

6. Plastic Recycling Facts • In recent years, the number of U.S. plastics recycling business has nearly tripled. More than 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics. • Plastics in the U.S. are made primarily (70 percent) from domestic natural gas. • Plastic bags and product wraps (known collectively as “plastic film”) are commonly recycled at the many collection programs offered through major grocery stores. • Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. • During Keep America Beautiful’s 2008 Great American Cleanup, volunteers recovered and recycled 189,000,000 PET (plastic) bottles that had been littered along highways, waterways and parks.

7. Facts About Aluminum Recycling • Discovered in the 1820s, aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth. • Over 50 percent of the aluminum cans produced are recycled. • A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days. • Aluminum is a durable and sustainable metal: two-thirds of the aluminum ever produced is in use today. • Every minute, an average of 113,204 aluminum cans are recycled. • Making new aluminum cans from used cans takes 95 percent less energy than using virgin materials. • 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce one can using virgin ore.

8. Facts About Aluminum Recycling • Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or run your television for three hours. • Tossing away an aluminum can wastes as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline. • In 1972, one pound of aluminum cans was equivalent to about 22 empty cans. Due to advanced technology using less material and increasing the durability of aluminum cans, in 2002, one pound of aluminum cans is equivalent to about 34 empty cans. • The average employee consumes 2.5 beverages each day while at work. • An empty aluminum can is worth about one cent.