Recycling is the process of converting waste into a new material rather than dumping it in a landfill or other waste dump. Recycling can help to reduce the need for new materials as well as the environmental impact of energy use, pollution, and water contamination. Glass, paper, cardboard, plastics, electronics, rubber tires, textiles, and metals can all be recycled, as can food that can be composted. When materials are recycled, they are either left curbside or delivered to a collection center, where they are sorted and delivered to the appropriate recycling facility. Some recycling processes are too expensive to complete, so recycled materials are repurposed rather than returned to their original form.
Many people recycle in order to reduce their environmental impact.
Recycling saves energy and keeps objects from being thrown away.
One of the three steps in the waste disposal hierarchy is recycling. This includes reducing, reusing, and recycling.
The aluminum can is one of the most commonly recycled items in the United States. An aluminum can takes about two months to be recycled and returned to a grocery store shelf.
Aluminum cans in landfills can take up to 500 years to change form.
Aluminum can be recycled an infinite number of times.
Every week, it takes 500,000 trees to produce the Sunday newspapers if paper is not recycled.
75,000 trees are saved by recycling just the Sunday newspaper. If all newspapers were recycled all year, 250 million trees would be saved.
The average American uses approximately 680 pounds of paper per year for a variety of purposes. The majority of it is not recycled.
Less energy is used and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced when more people recycle.
Every year, more than one million sea creatures are killed as a result of plastic bags dumped into the ocean.
It is estimated that approximately 60% of the garbage that reaches the landfill could be recycled. This would also reduce the amount of methane gas emitted into the atmosphere by landfills.
It is estimated that one-third of all landfills contain recyclable packaging material, all of which could be recycled.
Approximately 75% of waste generated in the United States could be recycled. Currently, only about 30% of waste is recycled.
Every year, more than 21 million tons of food are wasted in the United States. Composting that food would reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the same extent as removing 2 million cars from the road.
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours.
Recycling paper uses 70% less energy than manufacturing paper from raw materials.
Instead of sending it to a junkyard, approximately 80% of a vehicle could be recycled.
Each person generates approximately four pounds of garbage per day. Each year, this equates to 1.5 tons of solid waste.
