RECYCLING

Recycling helps create the products we use everyday -- from soda containers to writing paper, carpet and automobiles. Recycling mines valuable materials out of garbage to make new products. That's what makes it one of the oldest environmental practices and one of the most beneficial.

According to the U.S. EPA, recycling:

• Conserves natural resources to help sustain the environment.
• Reduces the need for landfilling and incineration.
• Saves energy and prevents pollution caused by the extraction and processing of virgin materials.

Get more financial and environmental benefits of recycling.

What Gets Recycled?

American communities recycled and composted just over 30% of municipal solid waste in 2003, diverting 72.3 million tons to recovery. What got recycled? Take a look at some everyday products and packaging: Paper Aluminum Steel Plastics Glass Scrap Tires Cell phones Electronics View a complete chart of materials generated and recovered.

The Recycling Loop

Recycling begins when individuals collect and set aside materials to be recovered through curbside, drop-off, school, office building, and other collection programs. Haulers pick up recyclables and transport them to a processing facility where they are separated to create the highest value raw materials. These are sold to manufacturers for making new products. The cycle begins again when consumers purchase products and packaging with recycled content.

Paper

In 2008, 57.4 percent of all paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling—that’s 340 pounds for each man, woman, and child in America. Since 1990, when the industry established its first goal to advance recycling, paper recovery has grown by more than 85 percent. The paper industry’s goal is to recover 60 percent of the paper consumed by 2012. Each percentage point increase toward this goal makes a big difference— equating to one million tons of paper, enough to fill more than 14,000 railroad cars. Recovered paper accounts for more than 36% of fiber used to make new paper products in the U.S. While paper fibers cannot be recycled forever, paper is made from a renewable resource, trees. Newspapers About 75% of all newspapers are recovered for recycling and 35% goes back into making more newsprint. The remainder is used to make paperboard, tissue, and insulation, or exported. Boxes More than 80% of corrugated containers are recycled and 58% are recycled into new boxes. Another 14% are used for paperboard packaging, like cookie and cracker boxes Office Paper More than 53% of office papers are recovered for recycling. These become raw material for paperboard, tissue, and printing and writing papers. For more information about paper recycling, visit paperrecycles.org.

Aluminum

Recovery of aluminum for recycling has dropped from a high of 68% in 1992 to just over half in 2003. While aluminum recovery has fluctuated, it has a long history of recycling primarily because recycled aluminum provides significant energy savings compared to the use of virgin raw materials (mainly the ore bauxite). Although aluminum is a nonrenewable resource, it can be recycled indefinitely. Recycled cans are melted into ingots weighing up to 60,000 pounds-enough aluminum to make 1.6 million new cans. It takes 60 days for a can to journey from the recycling bin through the recycling process and back on store shelves. Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum from raw materials. Energy saved from recycling one ton of aluminum is equal to the amount of electricity the average home uses over 10 years. The value of aluminum also typically covers the cost for its collection and reprocessing. Recyclers paid nearly $1 billion for aluminum beverage cans in 2002. Besides cans, other aluminum products that can be recycled include foil wrap, food cans, pie plates, frozen food trays, lawn chair tubing, storm door and window frames, residential siding, and auto parts. Get more facts .

Steel

The steel industry recycled nearly 68% of steel scrap from recycled cans, automobiles, appliances, construction material, and other steel products in 2001. Some communities even recycle empty aerosol cans. Recovered steel is remelted and used to produce new steel products. A minimum of 25% recycled steel goes in to packaging, car bodies, appliances, and steel framing. Products such as railroad ties and bridge spans use virtually 100% recycled steel. Cans - 60% of steel cans were recycled in 2003. Steel cans can be recycled in more than 20,000 locations across the country. Appliances - In 2003, 89.7% of steel from appliances were recycled at nearly 12,000 appliance recycling locations in the U.S. Automobiles - More than 13.5 million cars were recycled in 2003, a little more than the number of new cars produced. Construction - It is estimated that 60% of all steel used to reinforce buildings and 96% of structural beams and plates are recycled. Learn more from the Steel Recycling Institute.

Plastics

Plastic products account for 11.3% of all municipal solid waste generated in the U.S. In 2003, 5.2% of it was recovered. About 8.9% of plastic containers and packaging were recovered, mostly soft drink, milk, and water bottles. Two of the most widely used forms of plastic, PET (Polyethylene termpephthalate) and HDPE (high density polyethylene), are also the most recycled. PET bottles (soda, water) and HDPE bottles (milk, laundry detergent) are commonly collected in community recycling programs. In 2003, 31.9% of HDPE and 25.2% of PET bottles were recycled. Most of the PET bottles (56%) are used in the manufacture of fiber for carpet and clothing. And, 29% of HDPE bottles go back into making new bottles. In 2002, more than 51 million pounds of polystyrene were recycled back into foam egg cartons, lunch trays, transport packaging, and audio and videocassette cases. Polystyrene foodservice packaging (like clamshells) is not generally recycled because it is not economically sustainable. Polystyrene, HDPE, PET and other varieties of plastic all have different properties, so they must be separated to be used as a raw material for new products. The differences between varieties of plastic may not be readily apparent when comparing containers visually. To help consumers assess the type of plastic, the society of the Plastics Industry developed a uniform coding system which identifies the type of resin used in plastic packaging (like bottles, packages, etc.). These "plastic codes" now appear on most forms of plastic packaging. Learn more about plastic recycling.

Glass

Glass that has been collected for recycling is called cullet. Glass container manufacturers recycle cullet, combined with soda ash, limestone and sand, to create "new" glass. In 2003, glass made up 5.3% of the municipal solid waste stream by weight, and of that, about 22% of glass containers were recycled. Using recycled glass to make new glass packaging reduces consumption of raw materials, extends the life of plant equipment, such as furnaces, and saves energy. It is best to sort glass by color (clear, green, and amber), as mixed glass has little or no value to container manufacturers. Materials to keep out of the glass recycling mix includes ceramic cups and plates, clay pots, drinking glasses, light bulbs, and mirror and window glass. These items are not recyclable and contaminate a batch of cullet.

Scrap Tires

About 290 million scrap tires were generated in 2003, around one tire for every American. There are at least another 275 million scrap tires in stockpiles in the U.S. according to the U.S. EPA. Tires represent 2% of solid waste generated. Finding a market for scrap tires has been a persistent problem. In 1990 markets existed for only 17% of scrap tires. Today, there are markets for over 80% or 233 million tons. The rest are stockpiled or landfilled. Many states restrict them from landfills, which has encouraged the development of new uses for scrap tires. To date, 30 states collect disposal fees on tires to help fund scrap tire management and market development. According to the Rubber Manufacturers Association , in 2003, 18 milloin scrap tires were converted into ground rubber and recycled into products, 56 million were used as an alternative to rock in civil engineering projects, and 130 million for fuel in cement kilns and pulp and paper mills. The rest were used in rubberized asphalt, exported, or stamped into new products. To keep your tires out of the waste stream, consider retreading them.

Wireless Phones

Wireless phone use has jumped from 33.8 million subscribers in 1995 to more than 255 million in 2007, according to the CTIA - The Wireless Association. Most phones are used an average of 18 months before being replaced. It is estimatged that more than 150 million cell phones will be replaced this year, accounting for a staggering 65,000 tons of e-waste. Before being disposed of, many will be stashed in homes and offices, creating a stockpile of roughly 500 million wireless phone. A typical wireless phone consists of 40% metals, 40% plastics, and 20% ceramics and other trace materials. Much of this is recoverable, including the batteries. Wireless phones also contain a number of toxic materials, such as lead and brominated flame retardants, which are released into the environment when they are disposed of in a landfill or incinerator.

Computers and Other Electronics

The U.S. EPA estimates that more than 3.2 million tons of electronics are landfilled each year. Computers are typically discarded about every 3 to 5 years. By 2005, nearly 250 million computers are expected to become obsolete. In 2001, 11% of personal computers were recycled, including recovery of steel, glass, plastic, and precious metals. According to E-Scrap News, more than 1,000 U.S. communities now provide some kind of electronics recycling (periodic events, drop-off, or door-to-door collection). Communities may charge a collection fee. About 50 new e-scrap processing firms were established in the U.S. in 2003. According to the International Association of Electronics Recyclers e-scrap reclaimers employ 7,000 in processing 40 million electronics products annually. Get "Ten Tips for Donating your Computer." Get information on the U.S. EPA's Plug in to E-cycling campaign. For consumer information on electronics recycling and reuse opportunities, visit the Consumer Education Initiative. Dell and Best Buy have also established electronics collection programs.