Recycling Facts




  • scrap metal Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours.
  • It takes the same amount of energy to produce 20 recycled aluminum cans as it does to produce just one new aluminum can.
  • Producing scrap metal recycled aluminum creates 97% less water pollution than producing new metal from ore.
  • Every three months, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild the entire US commercial air fleet.
  • Recycling plastic saves 84% of the energy required to make plastic bottles from raw materials (i.e., crude oil).
  • Glass can be recycled again and again with no loss in quality or purity.
  • Three fourths of all American steel ends up recycled into new products and all of today's steel products contain recycled steel.
  • The typical appliance consists of about 75% steel by weight and is easily recyclable.
  • Energy requirements decrease 60% when using steel scrap to make new steel compared to mining iron ore and smelting it in a blast furnace.
  • Recycling one ton of steel saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone.
  • Automobiles are the most recycled consumer products, with large amounts of steel and other valuable recyclable materials, which have a recycling rate close to 100% – meaning that a car at the end of its useful life is not destined for a landfill, but for a recycling facility.