Feb. 25, 2022
Recycling is the collection and processing of materials that would otherwise be discarded as waste to create new products. It saves resources, reduces pollution, promotes public health and creates jobs. In the following articles, we will discuss some of the key materials that have a high efficiency ratio when it comes to recycling.
According to one study, one ton of recycled plastic can save 7,200 kilowatt hours of electricity, or enough to power a home for about seven months
Recycling plastics is the most environmentally friendly way to reduce fossil fuel use. In addition, plastic recycling reduces the amount of energy needed to create new materials. Recycling plastic bottles saves energy and natural resources by reducing oil and gas consumption by 40 percent, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It takes about two-thirds less energy to make plastic from recycled materials than it does to make new plastic.
In 2015, the U.S. recycled 54 billion aluminum cans, saving 15 million barrels of crude oil energy.
Aluminum is one of the most recyclable materials because they are 100% recyclable and can be reprocessed multiple times. Better yet, recycling cans into new cans uses 95 percent less energy than manufacturing new cans. Recycling an aluminum can saves the same amount of energy as turning on a television for three hours.
Recycling PET saves two-thirds of the energy typically required to produce new plastic, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and significantly reduces solid waste generation.
Plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are another recyclable material. In the United States, approximately 1.5 billion pounds of used PET bottles are recovered for recycling each year, making PET the most widely recycled plastic in the world.
Recycled glass is 50% more energy efficient than virgin glass.
With the exception of the type of glass used in mirrors, glass is infinitely recyclable. One ton of recycled glass saves 42 kilowatt hours of energy and two cubic yards of landfill space, and recycled glass is 33 percent more energy efficient than manufacturing new glass.
A recycled glass container can save enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours. Recycled glass reduces air pollution by 20 percent and water pollution by 50 percent, and a ton of glass made from 50 percent recycled material reduces mining waste by 250 pounds.
Compared to virgin paper, recycled paper saves 60 percent of energy and reduces air pollution by 95 percent.
Newspaper is an important recycled material. 80 percent of discarded paper ends up in landfills where it decomposes, producing methane, a greenhouse gas that has 21 times the heat-absorbing capacity of carbon dioxide. The reason for recycling newspapers is to help protect forests. In fact, recycling just one issue of a magazine can save 75,000 trees. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water.
Recycling steel saves enough energy to power 18 million homes each year.
Steel is the most recycled material, with an overall recycling rate of 88 percent in 2012. More steel is recycled each year than aluminum, paper, glass and plastic combined. in 2016, an estimated 25,482,452 tons of steel were recycled, and that number is growing every day.
To develop innovative recycling solutions: INCOM
