Just the Facts

>> Recycling, EPA

General Recycling Facts

FACT: Nationally, we recycled 83 million tons of municipal solid waste (residential trash) in 2008. This provides an annual benefit of 182 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions reduced, comparable to removing the emissions from 33 million passenger cars.
>> Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2008 (PDF), EPA

FACT: The amount of energy differs by material, but almost all recycling processes achieve significant energy savings compared to virgin material production.
>> More Energy Security, EPA

FACT: By conservative estimates, recycling was projected to save 605 British Thermal Units (BTUs) in 2005, equal to the energy used in six million households annually.
>>More Energy Security, EPA

FACT: Howard County, Maryland – a county of 270,000 residents in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. – recycled 12,520 tons of glass, plastic, and metals in 2003. The county can calculate that its recycling efforts prevented the release of 15,641 metric tons of carbon equivalent, approximately equal to the electricity use of 7,362 American households in one year.
>> Less Pressure on Landfills and More Natural Resources for Future Generations, EPA

FACT: By substituting recovered scrap materials for the use of trees, metal ores, minerals, oil, and other virgin materials, recycling reduces the pressure to expand forestry and mining production which can be environmentally damaging.
>> Less Pressure on Landfills and More Natural Resources for Future Generations, EPA

FACT: Fossil fuels and metals are non-renewable resources – they cannot be replenished by nature within our lifetimes and are therefore, in limited supply. The more of these materials we extract, the less that remains for future generations.
>> Less Pressure on Landfills and More Natural Resources for Future Generations, EPA

FACT: An increase in the recycling rate in the US from the current 32% to an achievable 65% could mean an additional 180 million tons of avoided greenhouse gas emissions, bringing the total to approximately 360 million tons.
>> The Environmental and Economic Value of Recycling in a Carbon-Constrained World, National Recycling Coalition

FACT: The amount of saved energy from recycling aluminum and steel cans, Polyethylene plastic and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging was equivalent to:

• The amount of electricity consumed by 17.8 million Americans in one year.
  
• 29% of the annual nuclear electricity generation in the US.
• 7.9% of annual electricity generation from fossil fuels in the US.
• 11% of the energy produced by coal fired power plants in the US.
• The energy supplied from 2.7% of imported barrels of crude oil into the U.S.
• The amount of gasoline used in almost 11 million passenger automobiles in one year.

>> The Environmental and Economic Value of Recycling in a Carbon-Constrained World, National Recycling Coalition

FACT: Conversely, last year the amount of lost energy from throwing away aluminum and steel cans, Polyethylene plastic and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging was equivalent to:

• The amount of electricity consumed by 10 million Americans in one year.
• 17% of annual nuclear electricity generation in the US.
• 4.6% of the annual electricity generated from fossil fuels in the US.
• 6% of the energy produced by coal fired power plants in the US.
• The energy supplied from 2% of imported barrels of crude oil into the U.S.
• The amount of gasoline used in 6.5 million passenger automobiles in a one year.

>> The Environmental and Economic Value of Recycling in a Carbon-Constrained World, National Recycling Coalition

FACT: A 10%, 25% and 50% respective increase of the amount of cans, bottles, newsprint and corrugated packaging currently recovered would result in:

• New energy savings of 77, 191 and 383 million MBTUs, which in terms of crude oil represents a savings between $957 Million to $4.8 billion.
• 3.9, 9.6 and 19.3 fewer megatons of waste to landfill.
• 11.6, 29 and 58 fewer megatons of GHG emissions into our atmosphere, which is equivalent to 44% of all the GHG emissions from US landfills.

>> The Environmental and Economic Value of Recycling in a Carbon-Constrained World, National Recycling Coalition

Economic Benefits of Recycling

Recycling creates new businesses that haul, process, and broker recovered materials, as well as companies that manufacture and distribute products made with these recycled materials.
>> Communicating the Benefits of Recycling, EPA

The recycling and reuse industry consists of approximately 56,000 establishments that employ over 1.1 million people, generate an annual payroll of nearly $37 billion, and gross over $236 billion in annual revenues.
>> Communicating the Benefits of Recycling, EPA

Unlike the waste management industry, recycling adds value to materials, contributing to a growing labor force including materials sorters, dispatchers, truck drivers, brokers, sales representatives, process engineers, and chemists. These jobs also generally pay above the average national wage, and many are in inner city urban areas where job creation is vital.
>> Communicating the Benefits of Recycling, EPA

The recycling and reuse industry generates billions in federal, state, and local tax revenues (estimated at $12.9 billion in 2001).
>> Communicating the Benefits of Recycling, EPA

Paper Recycling Facts

FACT: 80 percent of America’s paper mills are designed to use paper collected in recycling programs, and they depend on paper recycling to have the materials they need to operate.
>> Paper Recycling, EPA

FACT: Recycling one ton of paper saves the equivalent of 17 mature trees and 7,000 gallons of water.
>> Less Pressure on Landfills and More Natural Resources for Future Generations, EPA

FACT: Recycling 10 daily newspapers saves enough energy to power a room air conditioner for 4 hours.
>> Calculated using the iWARM tool, EPA

FACT: Producing recycled paper requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: Manufacturing one ton of office and computer paper with recycled paper stock can save between 3,000 and 4,000 kilowatt hours over the same ton of paper made with virgin wood products.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: In 2009 a record-high 63.4% of the paper used in the U.S. was recovered for recycling.
>> Workplace Recycling, Paperrecycles.org

FACT: Every ton of paper recycled saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.
>> Workplace Recycling, Paperrecycles.org

FACT: 87 percent (268 million) of Americans have access to curbside or drop-off paper recycling programs.
>> Workplace Recycling, Paperrecycles.org

FACT: In 2009 the amount of paper recovered for recycling averaged 325 pounds for each man, woman, and child in the United States.
>> Workplace Recycling, Paperrecycles.org

Aluminum Recycling Facts

FACT: Recycling of aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from virgin sources. For each can recycled, this is enough energy to run a television or computer for three hours.
>> More Energy Security, EPA

FACT: For each pound of aluminum recovered, Americans save the energy resources to generate about 7.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity. In total, this is enough energy to meet the electrical needs of a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years.
>> More Energy Security, EPA

FACT: Recycling 10 aluminum cans saves enough energy to power a laptop for 50 hours.
>> Calculated using the iWARM tool, EPA

FACT: Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a 100 watt bulb for 20 hours.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

Plastic Recycling Facts

FACT: About four percent of the U.S.’s total energy consumption is used in the production of all plastic products, and some of this energy can be recovered through the recycling of plastics products after their useful life is ended. >> More Energy Security, EPA

FACT: Recycling 10 plastic milk jugs saves enough energy to power a clothes washer for 11 hours.
>> Calculated using the iWARM tool, EPA

FACT: Recycling 10 laundry detergent bottles saves enough energy to power a window fan for 47 hours.
>> Calculated using the iWARM tool, EPA

FACT: Recycling 10 plastic grocery bags saves enough energy to power a CFL light bulb for 13 hours.
>> Calculated using the iWARM tool, EPA

FACT: Producing new plastic from recycled material uses only two-thirds of the energy required to manufacture it from raw materials.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: Plastics require 100 to 400 years to break down at the landfill.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: Five 2-liter recycled PET (#1 plastic) bottles produce enough fiberfill to make a ski jacket.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: The plastic from a recycled beverage container can be use indefinitely, avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions associated with combusting plastic wastes and eliminating the need to extract petroleum to make another plastic bottle. The carbon in the recycled plastic bottle is continually reused and sequestered in the product, rather than wasted in a landfill.
>> The Environmental and Economic Value of Recycling in a Carbon-Constrained World, National Recycling Coalition

Glass Recycling Facts

FACT: Using glass cullet (e.g. broken glass) allows the glass container industry to reduce energy input to its furnaces. Energy costs drop two to three percent for every 10 percent cullet used in the manufacturing process.
>> More Energy Security, EPA

FACT: Recycling 10 glass wine bottles saves enough energy to power a 36” CRT TV for 9 hours.
>> Calculated using the iWARM tool, EPA

FACT: Producing glass from virgin materials requires 30 percent more energy than producing it from crushed, used glass.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will operate a 100-watt lightbulb for four hours.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: It takes approximately 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down at the landfill.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

Steel Recycling Facts

FACT: Recycling 10 steel soup cans saves enough energy to power a ceiling fan for 8 hours.
>> Calculated using the iWARM tool, EPA

FACT: Tin cans contain 99 percent steel.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: Recycling steel and tin cans saves between 60 and 74 percent of the energy used to produce them from raw materials.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: According to the Steel Recycling Institute, steel recycling in the United States saves the energy equivalent to electrical power for about one-fifth (18 million) of American households for one year.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

FACT: One ton of recycled steel saves the energy equivalent of 3.6 barrels of oil and 1.49 tons of iron ore over the production of new steel.
>> Environmental Factoids, EPA

Kent County’s Recycling Facts and Figures

• 17 tons of aluminum cans
• 599 tons of steel cans
• 524 tons of HDPE plastics
• 555 tons of PET plastics
• 505 tons of mixed plastics
• 2,056 tons of corrugated cardboard
• 9,396 tons of mixed paper