Recycling is the wave of the future; Americans can reuse items that would normally be thrown in the trash. This helps preserve natural resources and keeps the planet cleaner for future generations while saving valuable space in landfills. The average American produces around three pounds of trash every day; up to sixty percent of that trash can be recycled which can make a huge impact on the environment. Knowing what to recycle and what to throw away is an important part of making recycling part of your family’s lifestyle. Here’s a list of the top five most important things to recycle:
Paper & Cardboard
Paper recycling includes everything from old newsprint and post-consumer paper to corrugated cardboard, magazines and packaging materials. The types of paper products you recycle may need to be sorted before you send it to the recycling center, but many communities provide curbside pickup for old newspapers and other forms of recyclable paper products. In some areas, you may need to transport the paper products yourself, but the effort is well worth it. Recycling paper and cardboard reduces the demand on virgin timber, which in turn protects the rainforests and saves the lives of millions of trees, reduces the energy used to produce new paper products, conserves water and makes our world a better place.
Plastic Bottles
Americans purchase soda, juice and water in single-serve plastic bottles at an alarming rate. According to Care2, Americans purchase twenty-five billion bottles of water alone each year, and eighty percent of them end up in the landfill. Recycling the bottles will make a huge impact on the environment. Making new plastic products from recycled bottles saves two-thirds on the energy use to make the products. Recycling beverage bottles is typically quick and easy for the consumer, but does require rinsing the bottles to remove residue before sending them to the recycling center.
Aluminum & Steel
Both aluminum and steel can be recycled over and over without losing strength, which is good news for the planet, as recycling them can save up to ninety-five percent on the product costs of new cans. Soda and beverage cans are the most common forms of aluminum recycling, while steel recycling includes food containers as well as steel auto parts. Steel recycling currently saves enough energy to fuel 18 American households for an entire year.
Glass
Recycling glass saves fifty percent on the production cost of virgin glass, produces twenty percent less air pollution and fifty percent less water pollution than making new glass. The energy saved by recycling one glass container will light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. Glass must be rinsed and sorted before recycling.
Computers & Electronics
Nearly every household has some old electronics or computers laying around that have outlasted their usefulness, but even older models can be refurbished to provide working computers for those in need. Some recycling centers dismantle old computers or electronics to harvest working parts, while many community organizations specialize in repairing old equipment for charities and non-profit organizations and will distribute them to those in need.
Whether you are cleaning out an estate or you run a business that produces large amounts of recyclables, Debris Box can help you with your efforts. We offer a wide selection of dumpsters to collect your recyclables and will even haul it to the recycling center for you. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with your recycling efforts.
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