Recycling may seem like a lot of work…. but did you know that the average family throws away about 10 pounds of garbage a day? HALF of what people in the United States throw away could be recycled. Recycling also makes good economic sense. Recycling creates jobs and generates valuable revenue for the United States. Below are some great reasons to recycle!
Recycling Helps The Economy
- Ohio’s recycling industry provides 169,000 jobs and supports 4.3 percent of all jobs in the state.
- Each year, the state’s recycling industry provides $6 billion in wages.
- The industry contributes $30 billion in sales and $651 million in state and local taxes annually.
Recycling Conserves Natural Resources and Energy
- Ohio’s five most commonly recycled materials markets – aluminum, glass, paper, plastic and steel – have an annual throughput of 13 million tons of materials.
- Some of the environmental benefits of using these recycled materials annually include:
- 53.5 million barrels of oil saved
- 478.6 billion tons of BTU’s/energy saved
- 8.7 billion tons of greenhouse gases reduced
Recycling Reduces Solid Waste
- Recycling 13 million tons of the five most commonly recycled materials saves 46.6 million cubic yards of landfill space – the equivalent of 53,000 railcars.
- Annually recycling all 30 million tons of materials in Ohio accounts for $877 million in avoided disposal costs.
Recycling Fun Facts
- Ohio’s plastic recycling industry converts and processes enough recycled plastic to equal over 11 billion soda bottles each year.
- Ohio’s glass industry recycles 60,000 tons of glass each year. Recycling this much glass saves enough energy to launch a space shuttle mission.
- Every ton of recycled paper conserves the equivalent of 17 trees worth of lumber. Ohioans recycle 2 million tons of paper each year.
- Annually, Ohio’s aluminum recycling industry smelts and produces enough recycled aluminum to make 29 billion aluminum beverage cans.
- When one tons of steel is recycled, 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone are conserved.
- Recycling conserves landfill space. Conserving landfill space now will help eliminate the need to build new or expand existing landfills.
- Recycling decreases emissions of greenhouse gases and prevents pollution caused by the harvesting and processing of virgin materials.