Recycling Facts . . .
One ton of recycled material saves 17 trees,
4,100 KWH of electricity, 3 cubic yards of landfill space,
and prevents 60 pounds of solid air pollutants
from entering the atmosphere.
Since 1991, Winthrop University
Recycling has
saved 30,600 trees,
7,380,000 KWH of electricity,
5,400 cubic yards of
landfill space
and
108,000
pounds of solid air pollutants!
Facts about Recycling
- Each person creates about 4.7
pounds of waste every single day
- In the US 33.4% of solid waste
is either recycled or composted, 12.6% is burned in
combustion facilities and 54% makes it's way into
landfills
- In 2007 99% of lead acid
batteries were recycled, 54% of paper and paperboard
were recycled, 64% of yard trimmings are recycled and
nearly 35% of metals were recycled
- The amount of recycling in 2007
saved the energy equivalent of 10.7 billion gallons of
gasoline and prevented the release of carbon dioxide of
approximately 35 million cars
- The number of landfills in the
US are decreasing while their size is increasing. In
1998 there were 8,000 landfills but only 1,754 in 2007
- Each ton of mixed paper that is
recycled can save the energy equivalent to 185 gallons
of gasoline
- Approximately 8,660 curbside
recycling programs exist in the United States
- There are about 3,510 community
composting programs in the United States
- Disposal of waste to landfills
has decreased from 89% in 1980 to 54% in 2007
- Recycling 1 ton of aluminum
cans conserves the equivalent of 1,665 gallons of
gasoline
- In 2007 the United States
recycled and composted 85 million tons of the 254
million tons of municipal solid waste created
Source:
http://www.epa.gov
&
http://recyclingfacts.org/
Benefits of Recycling
- Recycling protects and expands
US manufacturing jobs and increases US competitiveness.
- Recycling reduces the need for
landfilling and incineration.
- Recycling prevents pollution
caused by the manufacturing of products from virgin
materials.
- Recycling saves energy.
- Recycling decreases emissions
of greenhouse gases that contribute to
global climate change.
- Recycling conserves natural
resources such as timber, water, and minerals.
- Recycling helps sustain the
environment for future generations.
Source:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/recycle.htm
