BENEFITS OF RECYCLING
Recycling reduces the amount of waste going into a landfill, helping to prolong its useful life. Thirty percent of the waste disposed in the United States each year is recovered and recycled or composted, fifteen percent is burned at combustion facilities, and the remaining fifty-five percent is disposed of in landfills.
Recycling saves energy.
It takes 20 times more energy to make aluminum from bauxite ore than using recycled aluminum. (Source: Aluminum Association).
Recycling creates jobs.
A recent study conducted by Project Performance Corporation in McLean, Virginia, concluded that in northeast and southern states, activities associated with recycling employ over 2.5 percent of the manufacturing workforce. Projected nationally, then, this study suggests that about 1 million manufacturing jobs and over $100 billion in revenue are possible through recycling and remanufacturing activities.
Recycling saves natural resources.
Products made from recycled material slow the depletion of non-renewable resources such as metal ores, oil, and natural gas, and reduce the encroachment of new mining and drilling operations on sensitive lands.
Recycling reduces pollution.
Two hundred million gallons of used oil are improperly disposed of each year. (Source: EPA) Used motor oil often turns up in our rivers, lakes,
and streams. Properly recycling the motor oil from one oil change protects a million gallons of drinking water – or a year’s supply for 50 people.
Recycling provides raw materials for industry.
Industry has invested millions of dollars in developing technologies for processing and manufacturing recovered materials. Newspapers collected in Virginia are used to produce 100% recycled newsprint. Carpet manufacturers need PET plastic soda bottles which they turn into a fiber for their product. A product called plastic lumber is manufactured in Virginia and uses recycled plastic bags.
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