|
In addition to its many other environmental
and economic benefits, recycling
significantly lowers the carbon emissions
associated with raw materials extraction,
product manufacture, and waste disposal.
Estimates for energy savings and GHG
emission reductions based on current
recycling and waste to landfill in the US:
|
Material
|
Saved energy (MBTU)
|
Lost energy savings (MBTU)
|
Avoided GHG emissions from
recycling (MTC02E)
|
|
Aluminum Cans |
156,799,935
|
144,738,401
|
6,836,544
|
|
PET - Plastic Bottles |
30,905,550
|
103,150,575
|
900,900
|
|
Glass bottles |
2,130,000
|
n/a
|
293,000
|
|
Steel Cans (ferrous) |
29,941,101
|
17,584,456
|
2,698,747
|
|
Newspaper |
157,726,850
|
60,287,440
|
26,686,350
|
|
Corrugated Cardboard |
388,352,700
|
120,291,420
|
78,577,200
|
|
TOTAL |
765,856,136
|
446,052,292
|
115,992,741
|
To put these statistics into perspective,
last year the amount of energy saved from
recycling aluminum and steel cans, plastic
PET and glass containers, newsprint and
corrugated packaging was equivalent to:
• The amount of electricity consumed by 17.8
million Americans in one year.
• 29% of nuclear electricity generation in
the America in one year.
• 7.9% of electricity generation from fossil
fuels in the America in one year.
• 11% of the energy produced by coal fired
power plants in the U.S.
• The energy supplied from 2.7% of imported
barrels of crude oil into the U.S.
• The amount of gasoline used in almost 11
million passenger automobiles in one year.
The public and political interest in climate
change provides a unique opportunity to
re-focus public attention on the value of
recycling and to build an even stronger
economic and environmental case to enhance
our recycling infrastructure. However, the
value of recycling in lowering carbon
emissions is unlikely to be substantively
realized in public policy without a
collaborative, focused effort by the
recycling community.
Information provided by
the
National Recycling Coalition |
