Why should we recycle?
Five important reasons why Americans should recycle
- Recycling saves natural resources
- Recycling saves energy
- Recycling saves clean air and water
- Recycling saves landfill space
- Recycling saves money and creates jobs
What do the 3 chasing arrows mean?
Collection
Recycling
Buy Recycled
To Market, To Market…
Most Americans help the recycling effort by putting materials in their recycling bin or at a drop-off center. Today, approximately 28% of our trash is recovered annually for recycling (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1999). Where do these millions of pounds of recyclables go after collection? Manufacturers use them to make new products—recycling's second step. The third and final step returns the new products to the marketplace. This step is one that YOU need to support if recycling is to play a successful role in managing our country's solid waste.
Why Should I Buy Recycled?
You "close the loop" when you buy items or packaging made from recycled materials. They have now come full-circle: from bag or bin to a manufacturer, to the store shelf, and back to your home. After using the item, you can start the loop again by saving it for the local recycling program. When you buy recycled, markets are created and manufacturers will respond by continuing to use recyclables in their products. Without informed consumers and a ready market for products made from recycled materials, local recycling programs will become more costly and fewer recyclables may be collected and processed. More reusable materials will end up in landfills, and communities will need to deal with an increased amount of garbage.
Safe Bets
These four materials always have a significant amount of recycled content even though many such products are not labeled "recycled".
Steel- including food cans, cars, appliances, bicycles, furniture, nails. anything made with steel
Aluminum- including beverage cans, cat food cans
Glass bottles and jars
Molded pulp containers, including gray cardboard egg cartons, fruit trays and flower boxes
