In the mid-1980s, the United States had only one curbside recycling program, notes Earth911.com, an online recycling resource and environmental services company. Today, curbside recycling programs and drop-off centers serve 50 percent of all households in the country. Recycling is not effortless, but it is becoming easier, and it is always worthwhile. In 2008, recycling and composting in the United States saved the equivalent of more than 10.2 billion gallons of gasoline, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Paper and Cardboard
Almost all paper and cardboard can be recycled. The increase in curbside recycling programs has made it easy for households to recycle junk mail and printer paper. Companies, schools and universities across the country also practice paper recycling. The EPA’s data show that in 2008, 88 percent of newspapers were recycled, as well as 77 percent of cardboard boxes, 71 percent of office papers, 43 percent of commercial printing papers, 41 percent of unwanted mail, 40 percent of magazines, and 38 percent of paper bags.
Aluminum
Toss your aluminum cans into the “aluminum cans only” bin at work or into the recycling bin at home, and you will help pay for recycling as a whole. Aluminum cans are the most valuable containers to recycle, paying for the cost of their own collection and reprocessing, as well as subsidizing the collection of other recyclable materials. Aluminum cans are sustainable, meaning they are 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely. They are also recycled quickly. An aluminum can recovered for recycling can be back on store shelves within two months. Consumers recycled more than 54 percent of aluminum cans in 2008, according to the Aluminum Association.
Glass
Glass, like aluminum, is infinitely recyclable. It is accepted in many curbside recycling programs and most municipal recycling centers. In 2008, according to the EPA, 23 percent of glass, or 2.8 million tons, was recycled, up from 750,000 tons in 1980. When glass is recycled, 90 percent of it goes to make new glass containers, and most of those new glass containers are 70 percent recycled glass. Using recycled crushed glass, or “cullet,” consumes 40 percent less energy than making glass from raw materials. Glass does not ever degrade or break down into its constituent parts, making it especially valuable to recycle.
References
- Earth911.com: Curbside Recycling
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal: 2008
- The Aluminum Association: U.S. Aluminum Can Recycling Reached 54.2 Percent in 2008
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Glass
- Earth911.com: Benefits of Glass Recycling
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