Top 10 Reasons to Recycle

View the top 10 reasons to recycle:

• Good for Our Economy: American companies rely on recycling programs to provide the raw materials they need to make new products.
• Creates Jobs: Recycling in the U.S. is a $236 billion a year industry. More than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises employ 1.1 million workers nationwide.
• Reduces Waste: The average American discards 7.5 pounds of garbage every day. Most of this garbage goes into landfills, where it's compacted and buried.
• Good for the Environment: Recycling requires far less energy, uses fewer natural resources, and keeps waste from piling up in landfills.
• Saves Energy: Recycling offers significant energy savings over manufacturing with virgin materials. (Manufacturing with recycled aluminum cans uses 95% less energy.)
• Preserves Landfill Space: No one wants to live next door to a landfill. Recycling preserves existing landfill space.
• Prevents Global Warming: In 2000, recycling of solid waste prevented the release of 32.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE, the unit of measure for greenhouse gases) into the air.
• Reduces Water Pollution: Making goods from recycled materials generates far less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials.
• Protects Wildlife: Using recycled materials reduces the need to damage forests, wetlands, rivers and other places essential to wildlife.
• Creates New Demand: Recycling and buying recycled products creates demand for more recycled products, decreasing waste and helping our economy.