Why Recycle?
Save Energy
* Recycling 1 can = 3 hours
of TV, so in 2003 the U.S. saved enough energy by recycling cans to
run 162 billion hours
of TV, or about 25 hours of TV for every man, woman and child on Earth.
* Glass industry
uses 50% less energy to create glass from recycled glass than from
raw materials.
*
Americans recycled about 40 million tons of paper products in 2003,
creating an energy savings of 163 trillion
kilowatt hours of electricity.
*
Recycling one pound of plastic soda bottles saves 1200 BTUs of energy
Conserve Natural Resources
* Americans disposed of 83 million tons of paper products
in 2003. According to the EPA, by recycling nearly half of that, we
saved 705 million
trees and 290 billion gallons of fresh water.
* 219 million barrels of
oil, goes into the manufacture of plastic. Thus increasing the amount
of plastic we recycle can make a significant impact on oil use.
* In 1997, the U.S. recycled 13 million cars, which conserved 32.5
billion pounds of iron ore, 18.2 billion pounds of coal and 1.5 billion
pounds
of limestone.
* Aluminum can be recycled forever. Over 2/3 of all aluminum ever created
is still in use. Most of the 1/3 not still in use is aluminum cans
in landfills.
Limit Pollution
* Recycling just half of your annual recyclable household
waste saves 2400 pounds of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.
Many scientists
contend that human-released CO2 is a leading cause of global warming.
* Recycling household and car batteries keeps heavy metals such as
mercury, lithium and cadmium from being released into our air and water.
Heavy
metals, when consumed by people and other animals, cause numerous health
problems and diseases.
* 200 million gallons of used motor oil are
improperly disposed of each year. Recycling used motor oil keeps it
from polluting
your ground and fresh water.
* Americans dispose of 270 million waste tires each year. Illegally-dumped
and stock-piled tires are fertile breeding grounds for rodents and
mosquitoes, and illegally-burned tires release oil and soot into the
air and ground water.
These are just some LITTLE FACTS on why YOU should
RECYCLE