RECYCLING

Recycling involves processing used materials into new products in order to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.  Recycling is a key component of modern waste management and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy.

Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastics, textiles and electronics.  Although similar in effect, the composting or other reuse of biodegradable waste, such as food or garden waste - is not typically considered recycling.  Materials to be recycled are brought to a collection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling) 

*Note:  The Town of Meeker does NOT have curbside recycling.  Materials can be dropped of anytime at the Meeker Recycling Center located at 109 3rd Street, Meeker, CO 81641.  Please check our Recycling page for a list of materials accepted at the Recycling Center.

BENEFITS OF RECYCLING  (Source: www.epa.gov)

• Recycling protects and expands U.S. manufacturing jobs and increases U.S. competitiveness

• Recycling reduces the need for landfilling and incineration

• Recycling prevents pollution caused by manufacturing of products from virgin materials

• Recycling saves energy

• Recycling decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change

• Recycling conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals

• Recycling helps sustain the environment for future generations

Facts About Paper and Paper Recycling

(Source: http://earth911.com)

• In 2008, the amount of paper recovered for recycling averaged 340 pounds for every person in the United States

• Every ton (2,000 pounds) of paper recycled saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water

• The 17 trees saved can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year and burning the same ton of paper would create 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide

• By 2012 the paper industry's goal is to recover 60 percent of all the paper Americans consume for recycling, which is approximately 60 million tons of paper

• One million tons of recovered paper is enough to fill more than 14,000 railroad cars

• More than 37 percent of the fiber used to make new paper products in the United States comes from recycled sources

• 87 percent (approximately 268 million) of Americans have access to curbside or drop off paper recycling programs

• To produce each week's Sunday newspapers, 500.000 trees must be cut down

• Recycling a single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees

• If all newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year

• The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood and other products made from trees which amounts to 2,000,000,000 trees per year

• The amount of wood and paper thrown away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years

• The construction costs of a paper mill designed to use waste paper is 50 to 80 percent less than the cost of a mill using new pulp

• On average, it costs $30 per ton to recycle trash, $50 to send it to a landfill and $65 - $75 to incinerate it

CORRUGATED RECYCLING FACTS

With a near four percent rise in net exports, recovery of old corrugated containers (OCC) rose 2.0 percent in 2007 to 25.6 million tons.  During the same time, the United States containerboard consumption rose 1 percent and as a result, the OCC recovery rate increased to 78.3 percent in 2007 from 76.3 percent in 2006.

Old corrugated containers (OCC) are recycled into:

• Containerboard - 59.9%

• Recycled Paperboard - 15.3%

• Tissue - less than 1%

• Packaging & Industrial converting - 1.6%

• Exports to other countries - 21.2%

• Other - 1.1%

DID YOU KNOW?

Recycling by the Number (source www.planetgreen.discovery.com)

• 544,000: Trees saved if every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100 percent recycled ones

• 20 million: Tons of electronic waste thrown away each year.  One ton of scrap from discarded computers contains more gold than can be produced from 17 tons of gold ore

• 9 cubic yards: Amount of landfill space saved by recycling one ton of cardboard

• $160 billion: Value of the global recycling industry that employs over 1.5 million people

• 79 million tons: Amount of waste material diverted away from disposal in 2005 through recycling and composting

• 5 percent: Fraction of the energy it takes to recycle aluminum versus mining and refining new aluminum

• 315 kg: Amount of carbon dioxide not released into the atmosphere each time a metric ton of glass is used to create new glass products

• 51.5 percent: Percentage of the paper consumed in the U.S. that was recovered for recycling in 2005

• Five: Number of planets we would need if everyone lived like the average North American.  If everyone lived like the average European, we would need three.  Unfortunately we have only one

• 83 percent: Percentage of Americans who now say global warming is a "serious" problem, up from 70 percent in 2004

For more information, please visit www.epa.gov or www.planetgreen.discovery.com

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