Cumberland County Improvement Authority

Fun Recycling Facts!

The more you communicate to residents about the benefits and ease of recycling at curbside, the more you will see bins being ordered and, more importantly, used!

Feel free to make use of these fun facts on your Web sites, in your marketing materials and as part of your ongoing education campaigns targeted at residents. The second page of this flier can be printed and used in classrooms. If you are a teacher and would like more information for kids, please visit www.cancentral.com.

Did you know?

• Throwing away a single aluminum can, versus recycling it, is like pouring out six ounces of gasoline. Last year, Americans recycled enough aluminum cans to conserve the energy equivalent of more than15 million barrels of oil.

•The EPA estimates that 75% of what Americans throw in the trash could actually be recycled. Currently, only 25% is.

•Incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates one job; landfilling 10,000 tons of waste creates six jobs; recycling 10,000 tons of waste creates 36 jobs.

•The national recycling rate of 30 percent saves the equivalent of more than five billion gallons of gasoline, reducing dependence on foreign oil by 114 million barrels. This could be even higher!

•The aluminum can is 100 percent recyclable and can be used to make new beverage cans indefinitely – demonstrating recycling at is finest! “Every can, every time!”

•According to the EPA, recycling, including composting, diverted 68
million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 2001, up from 34 million tons in 1990.

•Recycling 35 percent of our trash reduces global warming emissions equivalent to taking 36 million cars of the road.

•Every Sunday 500,000 trees could be saved if everyone recycled their newspapers.

• Think recycling is expensive? Consider this: aluminum cans are the most valuable item in your bin. Aluminum can recycling helps fund the entire curbside collection. It’s the only packaging material that more than covers the cost of collection and re-processing for itself.

www.recyclecurbside.org

Recycling Fun for the Family

Talk to your kids or students about recycling at home. These simple games can help get things started.

Test your recycling knowledge!

True or False?

1. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough electricity to run your TV for three cartoon episodes.

2. Aluminum cans get cold as fast as bottles or drink boxes.

3. An aluminum can you recycle today could be back in your house as a new can in just two months.

4. Enough aluminum cans were recycled last year to fill the New York Empire State building 24 times.

5. Last year Americans recycled enough aluminum cans to stretch to the moon and back twice.

6. Aluminum cans are recycled more than any other drink container, such as juice boxes or plastic bottles.

7. The number of cans recycled every 30 seconds equals the number of people who could fill an entire pro football stadium.

8. An aluminum can is able be recycled up to three times.

Bonus: What day is your curbside recycling picked up? Circle one.

Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.

True/False answers: 1. F (6 episodes) 2. F (Faster than) 3. T, 4. T, 5. F (8 Times) 6. T, 7. T, 8. F forever). Math answer: 180 miles.