Recycling

Here's a blurb of interest from Recycle Bank: Did you know?

Recycling is a $236 billion dollar a year industry.

· The average American discards 7.5 lbs. of garbage every day, 75% of which is actually recyclable. Of that 75%, only 25% is actually being recycled.

· Recycling creates jobs: For every 10,000 tons of waste, 36 jobs are created to recycle it! (versus 1 job created for incineration and 6 for landfill dumping)

· The US hovers at a 33% recycling rate, saving more than 5 billion gallons of gasoline and reducing our dependence on foreign oil by 114 million barrels.

§ According to a 2007 Harris Poll, about 25% of Americans do not recycle at all at home. 62-and-over adults are leading the pack.

§ In a 2008 Harris Poll, 53% of Americans said that they have done something in the past year to positively effect the environment. The top thing: Recycling (91%).

Tips for readers

Close the Loop: Buying goods made from recycled products is actually just as important as recycling. By literally ‘buying recycled’, you take an active role in insuring the success of recycling programs across the country. The more we demand environmentally sound products, the more big business will have to deliver
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There are well over 4,500 recycled content products available to consumers—a number that grows daily as we all embrace green.

· Top 10 things you should recycle:

1. Aluminum
2. PET Plastic Bottles
3. Newspaper
4. Corrugated Cardboard
5. Steel Cans
6. HDPE Plastic Bottles
7. Glass Containers
8. Magazines
9. Mixed Paper-including junk mail, phone books, and envelopes with windows
10. Computers, Cell Phones, TV’s

About RecycleBank:
RecycleBank is a rewards program that motivates people to recycle. We do this by quickly and easily measuring the amount of material each home recycles and then converting that activity into RecycleBank Points that can be used at hundreds of local and national rewards partners. RecycleBank is simple to implement, market-driven, and proven to work; saving municipalities’ money and rewarding citizens for their environmental stewardship. For more information go to www.recyclebank.com