Easy to Understand Information About Garbage and Waste Recycling

Recovered materials are recycled and turned into new products we use everyday like soda cans, computer paper and carpeting. Making products from recycled materials uses less energy than manufacturing them from raw materials. Glass, aluminum and steel have the capacity to be recycled an infinite number of times. Recycling garbage instead of throwing it away helps municipalities combat the rising prices of landfill space.

The most prevalent material in the municipal solid waste stream is paper and paper board products, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA says that in 2008 about 77 million tons of this material was thrown away in the United States, but over 50 percent was recycled. Keep America Beautiful informs us approximately 75 percent of newspapers, more than 80 percent of corrugated containers, and greater than 53 percent of office papers are recovered from the garbage for recycling.

Aluminum made up 1.3 percent, or 3.4 million tons, of the municipal waste stream in 2008 according to the EPA. Beverage containers and other packaging make up the largest source of this type of garbage. It reports about 48 percent of aluminum containers for soft drinks and beer were recovered for recycling that year. Keep America Beautiful says recycling aluminum offers a 95 percent energy savings over manufacturing aluminum from new materials. Placing one ton of aluminum in the recycling bin, rather than the garbage can, saves enough energy to power the average home for 10 years.

Less than 25 percent of the 12.2 million tons of glass in the 2008 U.S. municipal solid waste went to a recycling center, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This recovery rate was up from 750,000 tons in 1980. The EPA says 90 percent of recycled glass becomes new food and beverage containers. Ceramics, drinking glasses, mirrors, light bulbs and window glass are considered contaminants in glass recycling facilities and should not be placed in recycling bins.

The most widely used plastics, polyethylene termpephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE), are also the most commonly recycled. Soda and water bottles are commonly made of PET plastic, while HDPE is used for milk and laundry detergent containers. Keep America Beautiful says that in 2003, plastic products accounted for 11.3 percent of the municipal solid waste stream and 5.2 percent of this garbage was recovered for recycling.

Products made of steel that end up in the garbage include cans, vehicles, appliances and construction waste. When you recycle steel instead of putting it in the garbage can, it's melted and reused to fabricate new steel products. The American Iron and Steel Institute reports almost 100 percent of the railroad ties manufactured today come from recycled steel. Nearly every scrapped automobile in the United States is recycled all steel products contain at least 25 percent recycled content.

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References:
Keep America Beautiful: Recycling
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Paper Recycling Basic Information
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Aluminum
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Glass
American Iron and Steel Institute: Steel Questions and Answers