Recycling Materials
Learn More About Recycling Materials
Paper
• Newspapers can take 5 + years to decompose in a landfill
• Paper can be recycled up to 6 times before the fibers become too small to use – but think of how many trees can be spared by recycling 6 times!
• Paper recycling process is kind of like doing the laundry with water, detergents and driers. The water is pressed out between large rollers until a new “paper sheet” or “web” is created.
• The U. S. Postal Service delivers more than 87 billion pieces of junk mail every year
Recycling 1 Ton of Paper Saves:
• 17 Trees
• Enough fuel to run the average car for 1,260 miles
• Enough power for the average home for 6 months
• 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space
• 60 pounds of air pollution
Recycled Paper Can Make:
- New Paper
- Paper Towels
- Egg Cartons
- Masking Tape
- Toilet Paper
- Newsprint
- Sheetrock
- Notebook Paper
- Kitty Litter
- Dust Mask
- Facial Tissues
- Paper Plates
- Model Globes
- Etc. Etc. Etc
• New Paper
• Paper Towels
• Egg Cartons
• Masking Tape
• Toilet Tissue
• Newsprint
• Sheetrock
• Notebook Paper
• Kitty Litter
• Dust Mask
• Facial Tissues
• Paper Plates
• Model Globes
• Etc., Etc., Etc.,
Plastic
• Plastic can be recycled over and over again without losing its’ quality
• Plastic is so versatile – it is used in almost everything
• Plastic accounts for the largest “litter” group in America
• Plastics should never be sent to a landfill!! What a huge waste!
A Few Items Made From Recycled Plastic
- Carpet
- Clothing
- Strapping
- Plastic Piping
- Lawn/Garden Items
- Plastic Lumber
- Buckets
- Crates
- Auto Parts
- The List Goes On and On!!!
• Carpet
• Clothing
• Strapping
• Plastic Piping
• Lawn/Garden Items
• Plastic Lumber
• Buckets
• Crates
• Auto Parts
• The List Goes On and On!!!
Decomposition Time Frames (When buried in a land fill)
Plastic Bag → 20+ Years

Plastic Bottle → 500 + Years

Plastic Cup→ 250 +Years

Glass
• Glass doesn’t break down even when left to the harshest of elements
• Glass, buried in a landfill, will never decompose, it will still be the same a thousand years later
• Glass can be recycled over and over without ever losing its purity or quality
• Recycled glass melts at a lower temperature than virgin glass takes to make, which saves energy
• Why let it go to a landfill?
• Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
A Few Items Made From Recycled Plastic Glass
- New Glass Containers
- Fiberglass Insulation
- Road
- Beds
- Concrete Blocks
- Glasphalt Mirrors
- Light Bulbs
- Windows
- Light Covers
- Decorations
- Perfume Bottles
- Reflective Beads for Highway
- Used in Sand Blasting
- SO MUCH MORE!!
• New Glass Containers
• Fiberglass Insulation
• Road
• Beds
• Concrete Blocks
• Glasphalt Mirrors
• Light Bulbs
• Windows
• Light Covers
• Decorations
• Perfume Bottles
• Reflective Beads for Highway
• Used in Sand Blasting
• SO MUCH MORE!!
Aluminum & Steel
• Aluminum cans take 80 + years to breakdown when buried in a land fill
• Recycled cans save 95% of the energy needed to create new from natural ore
• Recycling steel saves 74% of the energy used to produce from raw material
• Aluminum and steel can both be recycled endlessly without losing its quality
• Recycling one (1) aluminum can saves enough energy to operate a TV or computer for 3 hours
• 4 dog food cans conserve enough energy to light a 60-watt bulb for 25 hours
• In as little as 60 days from pickup, a soda can will be back in circulation as a new consumer item
A Few Items Made From Aluminum/Tin/Steel Window Frames
- Highway Signs
- Storm Doors
- Pie Plates
- Thumbtacks
- Drink Cans
- Car Parts
- Food Cans
- Parts of Bicycles
- Rebar
• Highway Signs
• Storm Doors
• Pie Plates
• Thumbtacks
• Drink Cans
• Car Parts
• Food Cans
• Parts of a Bicycles
• Rebar
Cardboard
• Two types of cardboard – Paperboard and Corrugate Cardboard
• Like paper, cardboard can be recycled up to about six (6) times
• Paperboard also known as chipboard or boxboard is very stiff, flat cardboard that is sometimes coated with substances that give it a glossy sheen. Example: Cereal, Tissue and Shoe boxes
• Corrugated Cardboard is made by sandwiching wavy, fluted pieces of paper between two or more sheets of paper to create a very strong product for shipping
A Few Items Made From Cardboard/Paperboard
- Shoe Boxes
- Paper Bags
- Junk Mail
- New Cardboard
- Paper backing on shingles
- Paperboard
- Paper Towel Rolls
- Cardboard Medium
- Egg Cartons
- Cereal Boxes
• Shoe Boxes
• Paper Bags
• Junk Mail
• New Cardboard
• Paper backing on shingles
• Paperboard
• Paper Towel Rolls
• Cardboard Medium
• Egg Cartons
• Cereal Boxes