Recycling is a process that transforms old, used materials into new items. Many types of items can be recycled numerous times. Recycle Away states, “Thanks to increased public awareness and access to recycling programs, the amount of recycling Americans do has increased dramatically in the last thirty years. Yet there is still a ways to go – a little over 30% of waste is recycled currently and about 75% could be recycled.”
1. Can you do the can-can?
Aluminum cans are the most commonly recycled product in the U.S. Made from a durable material, an aluminum can has a great recycle turnaround time. It takes as little as two months for a new can to be created from an old one. The energy saved from recycling aluminum is considerable – recycling 100 cans makes enough energy to light a room for two weeks.
2. Save the Trees
Recycling all newspapers produced would save an estimated 250 million trees from being destroyed every year. Trees are essential to oxygen production on the earth: one tree makes almost 260 pounds of oxygen in a year. There are no excuses to recycle paper because…
3. Everybody’s doing it!
Most Americans are able to recycle paper easily with drop-off or curbside paper recycling programs. About 87% have access to such programs, in fact.
4. Down with CO2
In 2013, 87.2 million tons of disposed materials were recycled. This was about a third of waste produced by Americans. Keeping this material from landfills saved an estimated 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the air. This is the same amount of CO2 that is produced from 39 million cars in a year.
5. Stay warm with plastic
Recycled plastic bottles are used to produce fiber for carpet and stuffing for jackets. Just 5 recycled bottles produce enough fiber to make filling for one adult sized jacket.
6. Criminal intent
Over twenty states, such as CA, PA, and NY, have made it illegal to throw out old electronics in the regular trash. Recycling electronics helps to keeps toxic chemicals out of landfills and then leeching into groundwater. There are many available locations to drop off old electronics.
7. Hire me!
The recycling industry generates thousands of jobs each year – which is a big positive in this economy. From the collectors to the plant operators, there are many positions available in all aspects of the recycling process.
