Raise Your Environmental Awareness

Most people would agree that recycling is a simple activity that allows them to do their part in improving the environment. And while most individuals have good intentions about recycling, 62 percent of Americans worry that the lack of information is causing them to do it wrong. Fortunately, we can do our part to protect the environment by educating people about the importance of effective and sustainable waste management practices as well as proper recycling techniques.

To aid this endeavor, we've put together some helpful recycling tips that should be kept in mind when trying to make a difference for the planet. Let's start exploring the interesting recycling phenomenon to discover why people find recycling so difficult and to understand how we can improve recycling practices now or in the future.

PAPER FACTS

Recycling cardboard requires only 75% of the energy required to make new cardboard.

Over 90% of all products shipped in the US are packaged in corrugated boxes that make up more than 400 billion square feet of cardboard

About 80% of retailers and grocery stores recycle cardboard

70% of corrugated board is recovered for recycling

Approximately 100 billion cardboard boxes are produced each year in the USA

One ton of recycled cardboard saves 46 gallons of oil

One ton of recycled cardboard saves 9 cubic meters of landfill

ORGANIC FACTS

Almost half of the food in the US is wasted.

Only about 5% of the food is waste waste.

The USA produces about 34 million tons of food waste each year.

Food waste accounts for almost 12% of urban solid waste produced in the USA.

PLASTIC FACTS

In America, 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour.

Recycling plastic uses 88% less energy than making it from raw materials.

Only 23% of disposable water bottles are recycled.

Recycling a ton of plastic saves the equivalent of 1,000-2,000 gallons of gasoline.

Recycling of plastic saves twice the energy of incineration in a waste incinerator.

Recycling a ton of plastic bottles reduces the equivalent energy use of a two-person home over a year.

GLASS FACTS

It can take 4,000 years or more for a modern glass bottle to decompose.

Glass is 100% recyclable.

More than 28 billion glass bottles and jars go to landfills every year. That's enough to fill two Empire State Buildings every three weeks.

Recycling a glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

ALUMINIUM FACTS

The average person has the opportunity to recycle more than 25,000 boxes in their lifetime.

An aluminum can be recycled and returned to a supermarket shelf in as little as 60 days, like a new can.

Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely without loss of quality.

Aluminum can be recycled using only 5% of the energy used to make the product from new materials.

Recycling a single aluminum can save enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours.

We must all work harder for recycling.