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RECYCLING FACTS AND TIPS

Aluminum

Recycling One ton of aluminum:

  • Saves 14,000 kWh of energy

  • Saves 39.6 barrels (1,663 gallons) of oil

  • Saves 237.6 million Btu's of energy

  • Saves 10 cubic yards of landfill space

Aluminum Recycling Tips:​

  • Prepare aluminum cans for recycling by either crushing the cans to save space or leaving them uncrushed.

  • Rinse cans out to prevent bugs.

Cardboard Recycling

Recycling one ton of cardboard:

  • Saves 390 kWh of energy

  • Saves 1.1 barrels (46 gallons) of oil

  • Saves 6.6 million Btu's of energy

Cardboard Recycling Tips​

  • Prepare cardboard for recycling by removing all other materials in the box.

  • Break down cardboard boxes to save storage space

  • Try to keep cardboard dry and free of food waste.  The cardboard can still be recycled if wet, but it is more difficult to carry due to the added weight of the water.

Glass Recyling

Recycling one ton of glass:

  • Saves 42 kWh of enery

  • Saves 1.12 barrels (5 gallons) of oil

  • Saves 714,286 Btu's of energy

  • Saves 2 cubic yards of landfill space

  • Saves 7.5 pounds of air pollutants from being released

Glass Recycling Tips​

  • Rinse all glass containers out with water.

  • You do not need to remove labels on bottles, the recycling process will do this for you.

  • Avoid breaking the glass and mixing broken colors together as this may make the glass unacceptable for recycling.

Paper Recycling

Recycling One ton of plastic:

  • Saves 5,774 kWh of energy

  • Saves 16.3 barrels (683 gallons) of oil

  • Saves 98 million Btu's of energy

  • Saves 30 cubic yards of landfill space

Paper Recycling Tips:​

  • Prepare plastic containers for recycling by ensuring first they are either:

    1. #1 (PETE): soda bottles, cooking oil bottles, and peanut butter jars​

    2. #2 (HDPF): milk, water and juice bottles, bleach and detergent bottles, margarine tubs, and some grocery sacks

    3. #3 (PVC): window cleaner bottles, cooking-oil containers, and detergent powder containers

    4. # 4 (LDPE): food packaging, shrink-wrap, carryout bags, and heavy-duty bags

    5. #5 (PP): butter and margarine tubs, yogurt containers, screw-on caps, and drinking straws

    6. # 6 (PS): often incorrectly referred to as foam cups or packing materials, a Dow Chemical brand trademark, the category includes cutlery, plates, foam coffee cups, egg cartons, meat trays, and yogurt containers

    7. (Other): Squeezable syrup and condiment bottles and some microwave food trays

    • These identification codes are often on the bottom of the plastic container encircled by three chasing arrows​

  • Remove plastic tops from the plastic containers being recycled and rinse the containers with water

  • Crushing containers will help save space while storing them.  

Steel Recycling

Recycling one ton of steel:

  • Saves 642 kWh of energy

  • Saves 1.8 barrels (76 gallons) of oil

  • Saves 10.9 million Btu's of energy

  • Saves 4 cubic yards of landfill space

Steel Recycling Tips​

  • Prepare steel cans for recycling by rinsing them with water to remove any food residue

  • To save space, remove both ends of the steel can and crush flat

  • Labels may be left on the cans and will be removed during the recycling process. 

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