According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans produced about 250 million tons of trash in 2008, a rate of about 4.5 pounds of trash per person every day. Approximately one-third of the trash was either recycled or composted. Paper makes up the largest amount of municipal solid waste at 31 percent. Consumers can help reduce waste not only by recycling trash, but also by purchasing items made from recycled materials.
Electronics
The process of recycling or reusing electronics, like cell phones, computers and televisions, is called e-cycling. The EPA reports that consumer electronics account for about 2 percent of waste in landfills. Many organizations accept salvageable cell phones and computers, refurbish these items and then provide them to schools and low-income families at little or no cost. Electronics that cannot be refurbished are mined for their plastic and metal components, which are then recycled into new products. In 2007, 18 percent of electronics were recycled, up from 15 percent in 2005.
Paper
Before the recycling process begins, paper must be separated by type, including newspaper, white paper, mixed paper and cardboard. Printed paper, such as newspaper, goes through a chemical washing process to remove the ink. Recycled paper is turned into a slush called pulp, then cleaned and filtered. Machines then press and drain the pulp and add materials such as wood or fiber to strengthen it. The finished product may be used as office paper, newspaper, paperboard, molded flower pots, cardboard, wrapping paper, brown bags, insulation or animal bedding.
Glass
Glass accounts for about 5 percent of municipal waste. Most recycling programs accept a type of glass called container glass, commonly used in jars and bottles. Glass is sometimes separated by color, then cleaned and crushed into fragments called cullet. A machine filters the cullet to remove non-glass particles. Materials such as silica sand are mixed with the cullet, and the mixture is melted in a furnace. The molten glass can then be made into new containers. Some of the cullet is used in the manufacture of stained glass.
Metal
Tin cans and aluminum are the two most commonly recycled metal products. Tin cans are actually made mostly of steel, with only a thin coating of tin. At the recycling facility, an electrolysis process removes the tin from the steel. The steel is then shipped to steel mills, where it is made into new products. A special process solidifies the liquid tin in the electrolysis bath so the tin can be used for more cans or mixed with other metals to create alloys such as solder, pewter and bronze. Aluminum is cleaned, melted, cast and pressed into sheets, then used to make all types of aluminum products including car bodies.
Plastics
Plastics make up about 12 percent of municipal solid waste. There are six different types of readily recyclable plastics; most plastic products are labeled with the three-arrow recycling symbol and the numeric category. 1-PETE, or polyethylene terephthalate, is the most commonly recycled plastic. Uses for recycled plastics include egg cartons, carpet, toys, garbage bags, cellophane, insulation and dozens of other products. (See Reference 4)
References
- Environmental Protection Agency: Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States
- Environmental Protection Agency: Statistics on the Management of Used and End-of-Life Electronics
- University of Oregon: What Happens When You Recycle?
- Maryland Department of the Environment: Beyond the Curb -- Recycling Process
- University of Oregon: The Recycling Process after Collection
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