The Garbage Lowdown

• Every ton of paper we recycle saves 17 trees.
• One ton of recycled paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, and enough energy to run one home for five months.
• Recycled paper can be made into paper towels, tissue, writing and printing paper, boxes, construction products, packaging, cat litter, and compost.
• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a computer for 3 hours, and recycling one ton of aluminum saves over 10 years of household energy.
• Recycling aluminum cuts steel mill water and air pollution by 70%.
• Glass never wears out and can be recycled forever.
• A ton of recycled glass saves 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone, and 151 pounds of feldspar.
• Five recycled plastic bottles make enough fiber to make stuffing for a ski jacket.
• Styrofoam is completely un-recyclable.
• One dollar out of every 11 in food costs is spent on packaging.
• Each year, Americans dump 21 million shopping bags full of food waste into landfills.