The counter below reflects the number of beverage cans and bottles
that have been landfilled, littered, and incinerated
in the US so far THIS YEAR ALONE
Recycle Fast Facts: - The garbage in a landfill stays in a landfill for a for approx 30-50 years - sometimes longer !
- In 2007 America generated 254 million tons of garbage and 63.3 million tons of recycle products not incl yard waste (www.epa.gov 2008)
- In 1988 there were 7,924 landfills in the US. In 2007 there were 1,754 landfills (www.epa.gov 2008)
- In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full.
- 84% of all household waste can be recycled.
- Computers pose an environmental threat because much of the material that makes them up is hazardous. A typical monitor contains 4-5 pounds of lead.
- Each year billions of used batteries are thrown away in the United States. This constitutes 88% of the mercury and 54% of the cadmium deposited into our landfills.
- Approximately only 10 percent of every landfill can be cleaned up.
Construction:
- The steel found in just six cars, when recycled, is enough to build a brand new house, using steel framing of course (www.recyleroom.org)!
- Approximately 1.5 million tons of construction products are made each year from paper, including insulation, gypsum wallboard, roofing paper, flooring, padding and sound-absorbing materials (American Forest and Paper Association 2002).
Cans, Bottles, Glass:
- Over 50 percent of the aluminum cans produced are recycled (www.earth911.com 2009)
- Americans use 100 million tin and steel cans every day. - The energy we save when we recycle one glass bottle is enough to light a traditional light bulb for four hours. - It takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminum cans than to make new ones (www.KeepAmericaBeautiful.com 2006).
Gas/Oil:
- One bus carries as many people as 40 cars!
- The 500 million automobiles on earth burn an average of 2 gallons of fuel a day.
- Each gallon of fuel releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.
- Approximately 5 million tons of oil produced in the world each year ends up in the ocean.
- Every gallon of oil can contaminate 1 million gallons of drinking water (www.earth911.com 2009).
- The amount of oil used to produce plastic water bottles in America is enough to fuel about 100,000 cars for a year (www.earth911.com 2009).
People:
- Each person throws away approximately 4.6 pounds of garbage every day. - More than 1/3 of all energy is used by people at home.
- Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year.
Water:
- We each use about 100 gallons of water each day (www.epa.gov 2008). - 75% of the water we use is in the bathroom (www.CaliforniaEnergyCommission.com 2006).
- Earth is 2/3 water. However, all the fresh water streams only represent one hundredth of one percent.
- 1.3-7 gallons for toilet (www.epa.gov 2008).
2 gals per miute at the bathroom sink(www.epa.gov 2008) .
- 25-70 gallons for tub (www.epa.gov 2008).
- 10-25 gallons for every 5 minutes in the shower (www.epa.gov 2008).
- 1 washing machine load uses 28-41 gallons (www.epa.gov 2008).
- 1 dishwasher load uses 9-12 gallons
- 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean every year.
Wood and Paper:
- Recycling paper instead of making it from new material generates 74 percent less air pollution and uses 50 percent less water (www.epa.gov 2008).
- Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough energy to power the average American home for five months (www.epa.gov 2008).
- The amount of wood and paper we throw away is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.
Here is an example of how long it takes some things take to break down:
- plastics takes 500 years,
- aluminum takes 500 years,
- organic materials, take 6 months,
- cotton, rags, paper take 6 months, however scientist have found a newspaper from the 1970's with legible writing still on it !
** based on multiple websites, please keep in mind things do change **
** These organizations do not endorse any products or services on this site. **
** Final Inspection Cleaning Service is not affiliated with any of these organizations. **