Good Reasons to Recycle
1 - It takes 75,000 trees each week to produce the Sunday edition of the New York Times.
2 - If Americans recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save 25 million trees a year.
3 - Recycling and reusing the material in "tin" cans reduces energy use by 74%, air pollution by 85%, solid waste by 95%, and water pollution by 76%.
4 - It takes 95% less energy to make aluminum by recycling it than by producing it from its natural ore, bauxite. It costs less too.
5 - The average American uses 580 pounds of paper each year. As a nation we consume 850 million trees annually.
6 - In 1991, the Great Wall of China became the second largest man-made structure in the world. The largest was Fresh Kills Landfill, serving New York City. It is now the highest point on the east coast.
7 - Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour!
8 - FOR EVERY GLASS BOTTLE RECYCLED, WE SAVE ENOUGH ENERGY TO LIGHT A 100 WATT LIGHT BULB FOR 4 HOURS.
9 - Every year, Americans throw away enough office and writing paper to build a wall 12 feet high from New York to Los Angeles.
10 - In one year, American steel recycling saves enough energy to heat and light 18 million homes. One pound of steel saves enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for 24 hours.
Tips for Recycling
- Precycling is the step before recycling. This is the process of making a conscious choice to purchase or use products and services which will have a less harmful effect on the Environment.
- Know what is recycled in your community. Some items may have special collections and recycling locations (oil & antifreeze at gas stations; plastic bags at grocery stores; six-pack rings and house batteries at schools; grass and leaves at garden centers; etc....). If the product is packaged in material that is NOT recycled in your community, it becomes GARBAGE and is wasted!
- Buy products that use less packaging. Product packaging accounts for about 33% of all household garbage. If we refuse to buy products that are overpackaged, the manufacturers will by force to change their packaging to be more environmentally responsive.
- Close the loop " Buy Recycled". Choose to buy products that are made from recycled material. Its only recycling if you buy recycled products.
- Buy recyclable products. Choose products that are made of or packaged in recyclable material. Paper bags, cardboard boxes, glass bottles, aluminum and tin cans, and some plastics are easily recycled.
- Avoid reliance on the word "degradable". A degrade product must be exposed to the element to breakdown. In a land fill these items do not breakdown because they are protected by tons of debris and dirt.
- Avoid disposable and one-time use products. These are a waste of resources and energy to produce. In most cases their are reusable alternatives.
- Buy in bulk or concentrated forms when ever possible. This usually saves money and reduces the amount of waste that is thrown away.
- Reuse items. Try to reuse items as many times as possible. If you do not have a use for items that are still good or operational, donate them to a local charity or environmental organization. Ask to see their wish list, you may have something they need. Many items can also be used for other things than what they were first purchase for. Be creative!
- A plastic bottle can be made into a/ Funnel by cutting off the bottom. Liner for a planter or flower pot.Bird feeder. Container for storing nails, screws, washers and nuts. Etc...
- If you are not happy about the packaging you see, speak up. Let manufactures and store managers know that you are not happy with the way a product is packaged.
Producing 1 ton of paper from recycled pulp saves 17 trees, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 7000 gallons of water. It also reduces air pollutants by 60 pounds, saves 390 gallons of oil, and conserves 4200 kilowatt hours of energy -- enough to heat a home for half a year. Estimates show that 9 jobs are created for every 15,000 tons of solid waste recycled into new products.
Recycling reduces our reliance on landfills and incinerators. Recycling protects our health and environment when harmful substances are removed from the waste stream. Recycling conserves our natural resources because it reduces the need for raw materials.
Business Guide to Buying Recycled Products
Recycling is more than just placing certain materials in a special bin. The recycling loop is complete only when materials that you have separated for recycling are processed and remanufactured into new products, which are then sold. Recycling works only when consumers, businesses and organizations buy products made with recycled material.
Advances in manufacturing technology have enabled most recycled products to compete - both in price and quality - with products made from virgin materials.
Always look at the level of post-consumer recycled content in a product: this is the material that has been collected from consumers and reprocessed. Manufacturers often include pre-consumer material in their total recycled content calculation: this material includes manufacturing scraps, and other by-products that were never used in the consumer market.
