Fun Facts About Recycling!
In our modern world, recycling has a huge environmental impact. Here are 5 facts about recycling you may not have known.
A Glass Bottle Takes a Million Years to Biodegrade
That’s right. Glass bottles are some of the least biodegradable man-made objects, taking one million years to do so, according to Cash for Your Trash by Carl Zimrig. The good news is that glass is easily recyclable. Other products that take a significant amount of time to biodegrade are Styrofoam (5,000 years), plastic diapers and sanitary pads (500 to 800 years).
One Aluminum Can Saves Enough Energy To Power a TV for Three Hours
Recycling aluminum cans conserves a lot of energy, enough to power everyday appliances for hours. According to Zimrig, this energy is equal to the amount a TV uses in three hours or a hundred-watt light bulb uses in 20 hours. Unfortunately, Americans throw away enough aluminum each month to rebuild the nation’s entire commercial air fleet.
Plastic Bags Require Less Energy to Recycle Than Paper Bags
Although plastic bags can’t be recycled from your home’s recycle bin, they are actually easier and require less energy to recycle at a facility than their paper counterparts. Recycling one pound of plastic requires 91% less energy than recycling a pound of paper, according to ReuseIt.com.
Americans Are More Likely to Recycle than Vote
In 2004, about 122 million people went to the polls to vote for president, but 136 million people said they regularly recycle, according to the Washington Post. Still, over the past three decades the amount of trash Americans generate has risen by 87%.
Western Disposal Services is a waste management company with an environmental focus. We offer commercial and residential trash, recycling, and compost services. Call us today at (303) 586-1100 for more information.
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