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Your SCISWA Quick Tip
About Recyclables
The most common recycled materials are paper, plastic, metal and glass. Below are short articles about these recyclable commodities and the list of web sites resources for this and further information.
Paper: King of the Waste Stream
Paper products are the most commonly landfilled items in the U.S. Approximately 40 percent of the waste that comes into landfills is paper. Specifically, the largest component of trash in landfills is newspapers - 14 percent by volume. In fact, Americans throw away the equivalent of more than 30 million trees in newsprint each year.
Recycling paper can make a big difference. Recycling saves trees and conserves landfill space. It takes less energy and water to produce paper from recycled fiber than virgin fiber. And recycling paper causes less water and air pollution. Here are some other interesting facts about paper (sources - EcoWeb, University of Virginia and Bluestem Solid Waste Agency):
Today, 62 million newspapers will be printed in the U.S. and 44 million will be thrown away. That's the equivalent of about 500,000 trees that will be dumped into landfills this week!
One person uses 2 pine trees worth of paper products each year.
Using 1 ton of recycled paper saves:
- 17 trees
- 300 gallons of oil
- 7,000 gallons of clean water
- 3 cubic yards of landfill space
- enough energy to heat the average home for 6 months
Recycling a stack of papers 6 feet tall will save one 35-foot tree.
It takes 390 gallons of oil to produce a ton of paper.
Buying recycled paper products is one of the easiest ways for the average person to make a difference. Besides buying Holiday cards and wrapping paper containing recycled content, you can purchase writing paper, printer paper, toilet paper and paper towels that are recycled. When taking a job to your printer, ask him/her to use recycled paper. If your grocery store does not stock items such as recycled toilet paper and paper towels, ask the manager to stock them. Recycling will only work if people buy recycled products.
Metal: Recycling CAN Work
Metal is among the most recyclable and recycled materials used. Recycling metal can result in huge savings in energy, use of virgin materials, water and air pollution, and mining and consumer wastes. Nationally, metals make up 8 percent of the waste stream.
Metals are classified as: ferrous - iron and steel; nonferrous including aluminum, copper, lead, zinc; and precious metals, the most common of which are gold, silver and platinum.
Recycling iron and steel means a 74 percent reduction in energy usage; a 90 percent savings in virgin materials used; reduction in air pollution by 86 percent and water pollution by 40 percent.
Using recycled aluminum instead of bauxite ore to make new aluminum will result in a 95 percent savings in energy -- enough to provide the energy to a city the size of Pittsburg for six years. Recycling aluminum will also cut air emissions by 95 percent.
Here are some other interesting facts about metals and metal recycling:
- Recycling steel will save enough energy every year to provide electricity to 20 percent of U.S. homes - roughly 18 million.
- Every ton of recycled steel saves 2,500 lbs. of iron ore, 1,400 lbs. of coal and 120 lbs. of limestone.
- All new steel products contain recycled steel. The overall recycling rate in the steel industry is 65 percent.
- The steel industry remelted more than 20 billion cans into new products in 1997- a rate of nearly 61 percent. Appliances were recycled at a rate of 81 percent (46 million) and automobiles at a rate of nearly 98 percent.
- Americans use 100 million tin and steel cans every day.
- It takes four pounds of bauxite ore - all of which is imported - to make one pound of aluminum.
- A quarter of all aluminum used goes into packaging.
Plastic: The Perpetual Polymer
Plastics are becoming increasingly more prevalent and important in today's society. There is a wide range of uses for this synthetic polymer. There is also a wide range of opinions as to its benefits versus its impact on the environment. Regardless, recycling plastics is becoming increasingly more important in waste management.
By weight, plastic makes up about 7 percent of the waste stream according to the EPA. By volume it's closer to 20 percent. The EPA estimates that by 2000, the amount of plastics discarded in the U.S. will increase 50 percent from the early 1990's level. Although plastic recycling has increased substantially, EPA estimates that less than 1 percent of plastics are currently being recycled.
The primary concern about the use of plastics is the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources. Plastics are polymers (long chains of molecules) that are manufactured from petroleum products, a limited resource with potentially volatile markets. According to the EcoWeb (by the University of Virginia), 1 billion barrels of oil were used in the U.S. in 1987 just for the production of plastic. Reducing, reuse and recycling then, mean less dependence on petroleum.
Many plastics are recyclable. They are classified in categories called "resins." You know these types by the numbers found on the bottom of your recyclables. Below are listed the seven categories, what products they are made into and what they can be made into when recycled (from the Institute of Recycling Industries).
No. 1, PETE or PET - polyethylene terephathalate: This is one of the more commonly used plastic resins and is commonly recycled. It is used primarily in pop and other beverage bottles, peanut butter, cooking oil containers, etc. It is recycled into carpet, fiberfill in jackets and sleeping bags, T-shirts and other clothing, paint brush bristles, to name a few.
- Some interesting facts about PETE according to the industry group, NAPCOR:
- The average household will generate about 17 pounds of PETE waste per year.
- It takes 5 two-liter PETE bottles will make one XL T-shirt.
- Half of all polyester carpet produced in the U.S. is made from recycled bottles.
No. 2, HDPE - high-density polyethylene: This hard, durable plastic is used in milk jugs, detergent and bleach bottles and motor oil bottles. It is recycled into plastic lumber, pipe, traffic cones, trash cans, recycling bins, industrial pallets, flower pots, and outdoor furniture.
No. 3, PVC - polyvinyl chloride or vinyl: Items made from PVC include high pressure pipes, doors, windows, clear bottles and food wrap. Recycled PVC can be made into drainage pipes, traffic cones, fencing, house siding, tiles, handrails, and hoses.
No. 4, LDPE - Low Density Polyethylene: LDPE is used to make shrink and stretch wrap, film for sacks and trash bags. It can be recycled into the same items.
No. 5, PP - Polypropylene: This plastic is widely used because it is resistant to chemicals and heat. It is used in food packaging, as screw on caps and lids, for yogurt and margarine tubs, juice bottles, drinking straws and auto battery cases. It is recycled into auto parts, new auto battery cases, bird feeders, pails, golf equipment, furniture and industrial fibers.
No. 6, PS - Polystyrene: More commonly known by the brand name, sytrofoam, this plastic is used in hot and cold drink cups, plates, egg cartons and meat trays. Recycled polystyrene is made into insulation board, packing peanuts, office and desk accessories, waste baskets, videotape cassettes, and reusable cafeteria trays.
No. 7, Other Plastics: These are composite plastics made with resins and fiber reinforcements and/or fillers. They are found in automotive and other durable goods. This type of resin is very difficult to recycle and few products are made from it.
Number 1 and 2 plastics are recycled most often in existing recycling programs. Many programs are beginning to add Numbers 3 and 5 as well. Be sure to check out what kinds of plastics your local recycler accepts. And please remember to rinse and flatten your plastic containers.
Glass: The Infinitely Recyclable Material
Most glass containers contain recycled glass - at least 25 percent content in most cases. Glass will never wear out, it can be recycled forever.
Glass is manufactured by mixing sand, soda ash, limestone and cullet (cullet is broken waste glass). It is chemically inert - that is it does not react with other substances and it can withstand high temperatures making it useful as a container. Cullet will melt at lower temperatures than raw materials, so less energy is needed in the manufacturing process.
The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) estimates that 35 percent of all glass containers sold in the U.S. in 1997 were recycled. Glass is 100 percent recyclable, but when recycled, it must be free of impurities, including metal and ceramic lids and caps, and any contaminants inside containers.
Some other interesting facts about glass, according to the Earth Work's Group Recycler's Handbook include:
- For every ton of glass recycled, 1,330 lbs. of sand, 433 lbs. of soda ash, 433 lbs. of limestone, and 151 lbs of feldspar is saved.
- Recycling glass reduces pollution produced in making new glass by 14-20 percent.
- Recycling glass saves 25 - 32 percent of the energy required for making new glass.
- Glass makes up 8 percent of the wastestream nationally.
- About 75 percent of glass in the U.S. is used for packaging
