General Recycling Facts

• In this decade, it is projected that Americans will throw away over 1 million tons of aluminum cans and foil, more than 11 million tons of glass bottles and jars, over 4 and a half million tons of office paper and nearly 10 million tons of newspaper. Almost all of this material could be recycled.
• Incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates 1 job, landfilling the same amount creates 6 jobs, recycling the same 10,000 tons creates 36 jobs.
• In a lifetime, the average American will throw away 600 times their adult weight in garbage. This means that each adult will leave a legacy of 90,000 lbs.of trash for their children.
• Recycling all of your home's waste newsprint, cardboard, glass, and metal can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 850 pounds a year.
• Each of us generates on average 4.4 pounds of waste per day per person.
• Enough energy is saved by recycling one aluminum can to run a TV set for three hours or to light one 100 watt bulb for 20 hours.
• Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.
• Annually, enough energy is saved by recycling steel to supply Los Angeles with electricity for almost 10 years.
• You can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one new one.

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Paper Recycling Facts

• Nationwide, paper and cardboard account for 41 percent of all municipal solid waste--that's close to half of all the garbage generated in the U.S.
• Every Sunday, the United States wastes nearly 90% of the recyclable newspapers. This wastes about 500,000 trees!
• Every day Americans buy 62 million newspapers and throw out 44 million. That's the equivalent of dumping 500,000 trees into a landfill every week.
• American's throw away enough office and writing paper annually to build a wall 12 feet high stretching from Los Angeles to New York City.
• If everyone in the U.S. recycled just 1/10 of their newsprint, we would save the estimated equivalent of about 25 million trees a year.
• One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.
• It takes 75,000 trees to print a Sunday Edition of the New York Times.
• One ton of recycled paper saves 3,700 pounds of lumber and 24,000 gallons of water.
• One ton of recycled paper uses:64% less energy, 50% less water,74% less air pollution, saves 17 trees and creates 5 times more jobs than one ton of paper products from virgin wood pulp.

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Tips for waste prevention-
Reduce use and consumption,
Reuse and repair

Recycling is great, but reducing your consumption and waste in the first place is an even better way to reduce your trash and conserve resources. Here are some ways to reduce and reuse:

• Avoid disposable items whenever possible.
• Choose durable products that can be used again and again.
• Use the blank sides of scrap paper for notes and lists before recycling the paper.
• Print letters and reports on both sides of the paper and set the default switch on your photocopier to double-sided.
• Use e-mail instead of paper memos and reduce the number of messages you print out.
• Post or circulate materials rather than copying one for each person. Share training manuals and internal documents.
• Eliminate printer and fax cover sheets.
• Buy copier paper with at least 30% post-consumer recycled content
  
• Save plastic produce bags and paper or plastic grocery bags for reuse
• Carry a cloth or string bag to use when you shop.
• Buy in bulk whenever possible; take your own bag or container when possible.
• Pack lunches in reusable containers to reduce waste and save money.
• Choose products with minimal packaging or packaging that can be reused or recycled easily.
• Carry a reusable cup or mug for beverages to avoid disposable cups.
• Borrow books from the library or buy them used rather than purchasing them new.
• Repair broken or damaged items rather than replacing them.
• Donate items you can no longer use to a nonprofit group or thrift store.
• Purchase quality used items such as furniture, clothing, sports equipment, toys and books at second-hand stores, garage sales and through classified ads.
• Compost leaves and grass clippings in a home compost pile and kitchen scraps in a worm bin. Use the compost to improve your garden or feed house plants.