Providing Solid Waste Solutions for a Better Community

Recycling Fun Facts

Did you know?

The average American is responsible for throwing away almost 5 pounds of garbage a day.

Over half of our trash can be composted.

It takes 17 average-sized trees to make one ton of paper.

It takes 3 ½ barrels of oil and 7,000 gallons of water to process one ton of wood into paper.

Making one ton of recycled paper uses only 60% of the energy needed to make one ton of virgin paper.

Recycled aluminum requires only 5% of the energy required to manufacture a can from bauxite ore.

The energy saved from recycling one aluminum can is enough to run a TV set for 3 hours and a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours.

Every time a ton of steel is recycled, it means 2500 pounds of iron ore, 1000 pounds of coal, and 40 pounds of limestone will not have to be mined from the earth.

All steel products can be re-melted and recycled into any other steel product.

Every pound of steel recycled saves enough to light a 60 watt light bulb for more than a day.

Recycling glass lowers the melting temperature and saves 32% of the energy needed for production of new glass.

Recycling glass instead of making it from quartz sand reduces mining waste by 80%, water use by 50%, and air pollution by 20%.

Americans use 2 ½ million plastic bottles every hour.

The first plastic, celluloid, was invented in 1869 as a substitute for ivory in billiard balls.

Five recycled two-liter PETE bottles can be used to make one square foot of carpet.