Interesting Recycling Facts

There are many interesting recycling facts to consider. These cover all aspects of recycling - and learning more about the facts can help us to appreciate the importance of recycling.

The are many benefits of recycling. Recycling and reusing items reduces the need for brand new items made using virgin materials. This helps to save and conserve resources and energy. By reducing the amount of rubbish that enters the waste system, we reduce the amount of items that go into landfills. While we all know the importance of recycling and the reasons why recycling is important, sometimes we need interesting recycling facts to put it all into perspective.

One method that is often used to present recycling facts in an easy to understand and interesting format, is to relate the information to a distance. Often organizations use the distance between the moon and earth as a way to demonstrate the volume of waste items. The moon is over 405 kilometers from the earth, so simple mathematical equations are used to translate the volume of waste into distance. Here are some interesting recycling facts that use the distance between the earth and moon as a means of putting the volume into perspective.

• According to afn.org, Americans throw away 18 billion disposable diapers a year. Laid end to end this would stretch to the moon and back seven times.
• Sprint Recycling report that 300 million rolls of fax paper are used a year. This is enough to stretch to the moon and back 26 times.
• The Lincoln.ne.gov website estimates that over 18 million tons of aluminum have been recycled since 1972. This equates to 1,099 billion aluminum cans. If these cans were placed end-to-end, they could stretch to the moon and back 174 times.
• The Green Thinking website reports that the volume of glass bottles and jars that were recycled in 1994, if laid end to end, would stretch to the moon and half way back to earth.
• Filter for Good states that Americans use 38 billion water bottles a year. This is enough to stretch to the moon and back over 10 times.
• ru.org report that 15 billion batteries are thrown away each year. Stood end to end, these would make a column that stretched to the moon and back.

There are many websites that offer a range of facts that relate to different aspects of recycling. These include:

• City of Inglewood - a printable pdf document
• Recycling Revolution - recycling facts broken down by type
• Recycle Ink Cartridges - facts about the recycling of ink cartridges
• Students Groups UCLA - a wide range of fun facts

A wealth of recycling facts and figures are available on the Internet. These present a great source of information and can provide some important perspective. When collecting interesting recycling facts, however, it is important to check the source of the facts and the credibility of the website. Facts and figures can change over the years, so some information may be out of date, however it may be presented as current information. The best places to start to look for accurate facts are government websites such as the EPA.

Interesting recycling facts can help to turn dry statistics into fun information that is easy to understand and remember.

• Ways to Prevent Global Warming
• 50 Specific Actions of Green Living
• Examples of Sustainable Development

• United States Recycling Statistics
• Types of Pollution
• Air Pollution Statistics
• Effects of Water Pollution
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Biofuels

• Wind Power Facts
• Recycled Plastic Rugs
• Benefits of Recycling
• Recycle Ink Cartridges
• Recycled Windshield Glass