Recycling Plastics
Logan Mongelli, Victoria Pemberton, Roddy
Tierney, Deanna Prue
Types of Plastics
● There are seven different types of plastics
that are each identified by an identification
number describing chemical makeup
1. PETE- Polyethylene Terephtalate
● The brand name is Dacron
● It is a thermoplastic that is used in synthetic fibers such as:
-Beverage, food and other liquid containers
-Thermoforming
applications
-Engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber
● Because PETE is an excellent water and moisture barrier material, plastic
bottles made from PETE are widely used for soft drinks
● The majority of the world's PETE production is for synthetic fibers (more
than 60%), with bottle production accounting for around 30% of global
demand
● This form of plastic is one of the most commonly recycled of the seven
types
● In terms of textile applications, PETE is referred to by its common name,
polyester. The acronym "PETE" is generally used in relation to packaging.
This is a short piece of the PET polymer chain
2. HDPE- High-density Polyethylene
● HDPE is considered one of the safer plastics and is easily recycled
● It is also stronger than standard Polyethylene, good barrier from moisture,
and stays solid at room temperature
● One other bonus is HDPE doesn’t leak any toxic chemicals into the soil or
water
● This particular Plastic is known for its strength to density ratio
● Like most plastics it is made from petroleum
● Since this material can be remolded by subsequent melting and shaping, it
is classified as a polyethylene thermoplastic
These are commonly
used items with the
Plastics HDPE
3. Vinyl
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Synthetic man-made material made from ethylene and chlorine
Both the substances are combined to form Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) resin
It is the third-most widely produced plastic
Low cost material to produce, very durable, resistant to moisture
Used in construction because it is more effective than traditional materials
such as copper, iron or wood in pipe and profile applications
It is also used in clothing and upholstery, electrical cable insulation,
inflatable products and many applications in which it replaces rubber when
plasticizers are added to it to make it softer and more flexible
Easily recycled, and more environmentally friendly since 57% of vinyl is
made from common salt which is a renewable natural resource
About 80% of production involves suspension
polymerization. Emulsion polymerization
accounts for about 12% and bulk
polymerization accounts for 8%.
4. LDPE- Low Density Polyethylene
• Thermoplastic made from monomer ethylene
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Started being produced in 1933
Used in trays, caps/thin lids, six pack rings,plastic
wraps, playground slides.
It can be withstand temperatures of 80 degrees celsius
Its a very tough plastic but is breakable.
Unlike PVC, LDPE is not regarded as a “bad plastic”
5. PP- Polypropylene
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Polypropylene is a plastic polymer with the chemical
formula C3H6
Another thermoplastic polymer that is known for being
rugged and quite resistant to solvents, bases, and acids
Has a very high melting point of 320 degrees fahrenheit
making it dishwasher safe
Also very easy to add dyes to this type of plastic
In 2008, the global market for polypropylene had a
volume of 45.1 million metric tons, which led to a
turnover of about $65 billion
6. PS- Polystyrene
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It is a synthetic aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid petrochemical
Can be rigid or foamed; General purpose polystyrene is clear, hard and brittle
One of the most widely used plastics, the scale of its production is several billion kilograms per
year
It’s uses include protective packaging (such as packing peanuts and CD and DVD cases),
containers, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, and disposable cutlery
Polystyrene foams are good thermal insulators and are therefore often used as building
insulation materials, such as in insulating concrete forms and structural insulated panel building
systems
It is highly flammable
It is very slow to biodegrade which is controversial because it is often abundant as a form of litter
in the outdoor environment, specifically along shores and waterways especially in its foam form
Most polystyrene products are currently not recycled due to the lack of incentive to invest in the
compactors and logistical systems required. Due to the low density of polystyrene foam, it is not
economical to collect
Foam scrap can be turned into clothes hangers, park benches, flower pots, toys, rulers, stapler
bodies, seedling containers, picture frames, and architectural molding from recycled PS
7. Other- Mixed Plastics
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Generally a wild card marking plastics that don’t fall within the other six
categories
Include polycarbonate bottles, which are understood by scientists to
negatively affect human hormones by leaching bisphenol-A into hot
beverages
Polycarbonate baby bottles are losing favour with the public, and retailers
including are starting to sell more BPA-free bottles
Some examples of these plastics include:
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Silicone-Heat resistant material used mainly as a sealant but also used for high
temperature cooking utensils
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Plastarch materia – Biodegradable and heat resistant, thermoplastic composed of
modified corn starch
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Furan- Resin based on Furfuryl Alcohol used in foundry sands and biologically derived
composites.
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Polyimide - A High temperature plastic used in materials such as Kapton tape
Advantages of Recycling Plastic
• Reduced Oil Consumption- Recycling plastic cuts back on oil consumption,
which is helping to extend the lifespan of our remaining fossil fuel reserves.
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On average, 1 ton of recycled plastic saves 16.3 barrels of oil
Saving Energy- Recycling plastic still uses energy, but it usually requires
less energy than making fresh plastic. Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves the
equivalent of 5,774 kilowatt-hours of electric energy.
Reducing Waste- Plastics break down slowly in a landfill. However, in the
ocean, for example - they can break down more quickly, but they still take
a long time to biodegrade; depending on the type of plastic it could be a
century or even more!
Types & Uses- Only two types of plastic, polyethylene terephthalate (No.1)
and high-density polyethylene (No.2), are recycled at most locations.
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Recycled PET and HDPE can be used to make new bottles, polyester fibers for use in
clothing, car parts and plastic lumber, among other products.
Disadvantages of Recycling Plastic
• Plastic resin, which is part of the manufacturing and recycling process, and
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comes from petroleum, can get into foods stored in recycled plastic
containers
Because of the potential health threats recycled plastic poses, much
plastic recycling is actually downcycling. This means that the plastic
actually becomes a different, less useful product.
After downcycling, plastic is generally unfit for another round of recycling.
This means that it ends up in a landfill despite having seen a secondary
use as a less useful product.
The cost associated with processing plastic categories 3-7 compared with
the return available from a secondary market drives many municipal
recycling programs to deny these items.
Recycling in Dutchess County
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One positive we have is the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency
which is a is a public benefit corporation created by the New York
State Legislature for the purpose of providing solid waste
management services for Dutchess County.
Local Law NO.1 1984 was the first local law that provided regulation and
authority for dutchess country to carry out municipal waste responsibilities
Local Law NO.4 1990 made recycling mandatory for Dutchess County
Mission Statement for D.C.R.R.A.
To dispose of Dutchess County's solid waste in an
environmentally friendly way, and where possible,
create value in the process.
To promote economically viable recycling in the
county.
We will provide and manage the facilities for
disposal and recycling.
Where possible we will use private enterprise to
accomplish our objectives.
We will endeavor to accomplish our objectives at the
least cost to the taxpayer within the constraints of
Recycling in New York State
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NYS Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Law increases
accessibility to recycle plastic bags and encourages it
Solid Waste Management Act of 1988 provided a plan and priorities of
waste management in NYS
New York's Bottle Bill - Returnable Container Act (RCA)
reduced roadside container litter by 70 percent;
recycled 90 billion containers, equal to 6 million tons of materials, at no cost to local governments;
saved more than 52 million barrels of oil; and
eliminated 200,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year.
When the Bottle Bill was passed in 1982 non-carbonated drinks like iced
teas, sport drinks and bottled water made up a small fraction of the
beverage market. Today, non-carbonated water makes up more than 23
Examples of recycling in NYS
Recycling in the United States
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Of the 30 million tons of plastic waste generated in the U.S. in 2009, only 7 percent
was recovered for recycling
EPA regulates household, industrial, and manufacturing solid and hazardous wastes
under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA's goals are to
protect us from the hazards of waste disposal; conserve energy and natural
resources by recycling and recovery; reduce or eliminate waste; and clean up waste
that which may have spilled, leaked or been improperly disposed of
The Solid Waste Program, under RCRA Subtitle D, encourages states to develop
comprehensive plans to manage nonhazardous industrial solid waste and municipal
solid waste, sets criteria for municipal solid waste landfills and other solid waste
disposal facilities, and prohibits the open dumping of solid waste.
What Can YOU Do?
Some easy ways to reduce plastic waste include:
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Avoid using plastic straws, or purchase a stainless steel/ glass reusable
one
Use reusable bags at the grocery store, preferably cotton ones
Buy boxes not bottles (laundry detergent, dish soap, etc.)
Buy in bulk- the less plastic you purchase, the less you are throwing away
Reuse plastic containers
Reuse water bottles & caps
Do not use plastic forks, spoons, etc.
Works Cited
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http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/photos/16-simple-ways-toreduce-plastic-waste/pack-a-greener-lunch
http://www.ehow.com/list_7254476_disadvantages-recycled-plastics.html
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.epa.gov/
E-Waste
Recycling
By: Katerina Economikos, Anna
Zoodsma, Jayvon Johnson, &
Rebekah Levine
What is E-Waste used for? What products?
How many forms are there?
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E-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic
devices.
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Product:
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Discarded computers
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Office electronic equipment
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Entertainment device electronics
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Mobile phones
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Television sets
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Refrigerators
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ETC..
The re-usables, (working and repairable
electronics) and secondary scrap (copper, steel,
plastic, etc.) are "commodities". Because loads of
surplus electronics are frequently commingled
How much is used in the United States?
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2.37 million short tons
What are the current E-Waste recycling
rates?
-Rates are not certain as E-Waste recycling is a
relatively new issue. Materials were not used
frequently until recently.
-U.S. in 2009- 25% electronics recycled
-38% of computers (18
million)
-17% of TV’s (4.6 million)
-8% mobile devices (11.7
million)
How much landfill space could be saved?
- 1% of landfill space could be saved
- Between 2003 and 2005, electronic products available for EOL
management were recycled or disposed of in the following
approximate percentages:
● About 15-20% were collected for recycling. The recycled/disposed split
remained fairly constant between 1999-2005. Although recycling
continues to increase, the percentage recycled remains constant
because of the ever-increasing number of electronics available for EOL
management.
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About 80-85% were disposed of (largely to landfills)
Special Facts
1.
80 to 85 percent of electronic products were discarded in landfills or incinerators, which can release certain
toxics into the air.
2. E-waste represents 2 percent of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70 percent of overall toxic waste.
The extreme amount of lead in electronics alone causes damage in the central and peripheral nervous
systems, the blood and the kidneys.
3. 20 to 50 million metric tons of e-waste are disposed worldwide every year.
4. Cell phones and other electronic items contain high amounts of precious metals like gold or silver.
Americans dump phones containing over $60 million in gold/silver every year.
5. Only 12.5 percent of e-waste is currently recycled.
6. For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75
pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.
7. Recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 U.S. homes in a
year.
8. E-waste is still the fastest growing municipal waste stream in America, according to the EPA.
9. A large number of what is labeled as "e-waste" is actually not waste at all, but rather whole electronic
equipment or parts that are readily marketable for reuse or can be recycled for materials recovery.
10. It takes 539 pounds of fossil fuel, 48 pounds of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water to manufacture one
computer and monitor
How much energy could be saved?
❏ Only 12.5% of e-waste is currently recycled.
❏ Recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity
used by 3,657 U.S. homes in a year.
❏ For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 pounds of
copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of
palladium can be recovered.
How is E-Waste typically recycled? What
can be done to make it reusable?
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the product is fixed and resold
parts of the product that are still useable
are taken out and put in newer models or
the same model that needs it
it is melted down and used for something
else
Why is it important to recycle the EWaste?
-E-Waste contains chemicals such as lead, mercury,
cadmium, phosphorus, and flame retardants (hazardous
waste)
-Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT’s) are also found in TV/computer
monitors are most harmful to the environment
-saves landfill space
-”The NYS Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act,
requires manufacturers to provide free and convenient
recycling of electronic waste to most consumers in the
state.”-http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/65583.html
What are the challenges to recycling the
material?
● A serious challenge we are facing is that refurbishing and reuse of
computers and televisions, while desirable and encouraged, just
delays the ultimate disposal problem. These items will eventually be
unusable, and it will be important to have programs in place that divert
this waste from landfills.
● Finding ways to keep electronic waste out of landfills is a challenge
now facing electronic equipment manufacturers, recycling and waste
management organizations, elected officials, and environmental
regulatory agencies such as DEQ. At present, many households have
little choice but to put obsolete or broken electronic items in the trass
have little choice but to put obsolete or broken electronic items in the
trash.
Is there currently a market for recycled EWaste?
A large number of what is labeled as
"e-waste" is actually not waste
at all, but rather whole
electronic equipment or parts
that are readily marketable for
reuse or can be recycled for
materials recovery. Today the
electronic waste recycling
business is in all areas of the
developed world a large and
rapidly consolidating business.
Part of this evolution has
involved greater diversion of
electronic waste from energyintensive downcycling
processes (e.g., conventional
recycling), where equipment is
Examples:
*Best Buy: Best Buy accepts electronic
items for recycling, even if they were not
purchased at Best Buy.
*Staples: Staples also accepts electronic
items for recycling at no additional cost.
They also accept ink and printer toner
cartridges.
*E-Cycling Central is a website from the
Electronic Industry Alliance which allows
you to search for electronic recycling
programs in your state.
What can recycled E-Waste be made into?
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metal: jewelry, automotive parts,
electronics, etc.
plastic: new electronic devices, garden
furniture, license plate frames, non-food
containers, replacement automotive parts
battery: other rechargeable battery
products
Can E-Waste be reused before it is
recycled?
-Broken E-Waste should either be repaired or recycled
-if repaired, electronics can be resold or given
back
original owner
-Much of E-Waste is not broken, customers just don’t
want it anymore. With new products coming out every
week, customers are persuaded to buy newer products
even when the old ones are in good condition.
What are the disadvantages of recycling
the material?
-Costly (for certain products)
-The items associated in recycling e-waste
will eventually be unusable anyway
-Recycling process can produce problems to
the environment (soil/groundwater
contamination)
What would it take to make recycling EWaste a more viable operation? Outlook:
➔ Federal Legislative Mandates for Electronics Recovery: At present, there is no Federal mandate to
recycle e-waste. There have been numerous attempts to develop a Federal law. However, to date, there is no
consensus on a Federal approach.
◆ State Mandatory Electronics Recovery Programs: Many states have instituted mandatory
electronics recovery programs.
➔ Dutchess County has a mandatory recycling law (Local Law No. 4 of 1990 and subsequent amendments)
that has been in effect since 1990.
Other Information
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60 minutes video
Works Cited
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/manage.htm
http://www.erecycleny.com/benefits.aspx
http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/65583.html
http://www.dosomething.org/actnow/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-e-waste
Recycling: Glass
Ahmöd Tipu, Annika Björnson
Juli Möngini, Kenny Gödwin
Glass Recycling
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Americans generate about 11.5 million tons of glass
every year
Only 28% of glass is recycled in the U.S.
New York recycles more glass compared to most other
states because it has a 5 cent bottle bill (It’s one out
of eleven in the U.S. to have such a bill)
Glass Uses
• Glass is used for many different products
• Some glass products include:
• windows
• bottles & jars
• vases
• tiles
• telescopes
• microscopes
Glass Recycling
• If all of the glass in the United States was recycled,
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about 9 million tons of landfill space would be saved.
Every month, we throw out enough glass bottles to fill a
skyscraper.
Over a ton of resources is saved for every ton of glass
recycled: 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda
ash, 433 pounds of limestone, and 151 pounds of
feldspar.
How much energy could be saved by
recycling glass?
According to the EPA, recycling glass only saves about 30
percent of the energy cost of producing new glass, and the
raw materials required are in abundant supply. Reusing glass
bottles and jars, however, requires no energy whatsoever, so
you can reduce energy costs by finding new uses for these
containers instead of simply throwing them out. Once you
throw glass out, 1 million years will pass before that glass
breaks down at the landfill.
How is glass typically recycled?
• Insulation products
• Ceramic sanitary ware production
• Flux agent in brick manufacture
• Astroturf
• Golf bunker sand
• Recycled glass countertops
• Water filtration media
• Abrasive
• Aggregate
• Glassphalt
What must be done to make glass reusable?
To make glass reusable it must be collected
and brought to a separate recycling center
then sorted by colour. After this it is sorted
by color then crushed down to be used in
the desired way the company would like.
Why is it important to recycle glass?
The energy saved by recycling just one glass jar is
enough energy to keep a 100 watt glass light bulb
lit for an hour or a home computer running for 30
minutes.For every ton of glass that has been
recycled, one ton of raw materials can be saved,
including 1,200 pounds of sand, 400 pounds of
soda ash and 360 pounds of limestone.
Market for Recycled Glass
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Recycled glass containers are always needed by manufacturers
because new glass is needed to meet demands for more glass
containers.
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Crushed or pulverized glass can be used the same way as sand and
gravel for parking lots, beaches, and walking trails.
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When recycled glass is used it can help to lower costs for
manufacturers since they would not have to make new glass for
their products.
Products Made With Recycled Glass
Recycled Glass Countertops
Glass Jewelry
Glass Vases
Glass Bottles
Uses of Glass Before Recycling
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Before glass is recycled it can be ground up and used for
decorative purposes in gardens or in place of gravel.
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The glass can also be used to replace stones in asphalt when
ground up and therefore used to pave roads.
Glassphalt
Glass In Gardens
Problems/Disadvantages with recycling glass
• The glass must be sorted by colour before recycling.
• It would put people out of work in the glass bottle
• manufacturing industry.
• Windows, Pyrex, and other more industrial glasses cannot
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be recycled into bottles or anything because it’s a
different manufacturing process and if introduced to a
container type manufacturing process, it can cause
defective containers.
It can be and is quite expensive (no exact figures have
been published)
Outlooks:
• Only 11 states have a 5 cent bottle bill, New York State
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included.
Dutchess County has a mandatory recycling law for glass,
paper, plastics 1 and 2, and aluminum, however it is not
highly enforced. Due to the lack of enforcement, many
Dutchess County residents do not recycle.
Ketcham High School does not currently have a glass
recycling system in place either, however there are a few
bins in the Cafeteria that the custodians are allowed to
take the recycled items from and personally recycle if they
so choose.
Fun Facts! About Glass Recycling:
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Glass is 100% recyclable! No other food or beverage packaging
material is!
Recycled glass is substituted for up to 70% of raw material
Glass can be recycled endlessly without losing any purity, and is
one of very few materials that can do so
Delaware had repealed their Beverage Container Regulation law
that required a 5-cent deposit on plastic and glass soft drinks and
beer bottles, and replaced it with a “controversial” 4-cent nonrefundable recycling fee in 2009
Glass can take 4,000+ years to decompose
What is the material used for?
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41% of all paper is used for packaging
95% of business information is still stored on
paper
Still used in printing and writing
Used in construction
How much is used?
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In the United States: Paper makes up for
28% of all municipal solid waste
Paper waste accounts for 40% of total waste
produced in the U.S each year(71.6 million
tons)
Worldwide consumption of paper has risen
by 400% in the last 40 years
Current Recycling Rates
In the United States, 66% of all paper used is
recycled.
Landfill space saved by recycling
Recycling one short ton of paper saves three
cubic yards of space in a landfill.
How much energy can be saved by recycling?
Recycling one ton of paper saves enough
energy to power the average U.S household
for six months or 4,100 kilowatts per hour.
Why it’s important to recycle paper.
Because paper remains in control of the
largest percent of total solid waste produced
in the United States alone and the fact that
the process that goes into the production of
paper and the acquisition of materials
required to make paper is destructive for
many ecosystems.
Challenges to recycling paper
Some of the problems facing the issue of
recycling paper are more so related to not the
paper but what goes on it. When recycling
paper, all of the ink, plastic, and wax that was
in contact with or attached to the paper
because many of these materials are
poisonous and detrimental to the recycled
paper
Is there a market for recycled paper
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Approximately 140 paper mills in the U.S
use recycled paper exclusively
There currently is a rise in a strong demand
overseas for U.S recovered paper and an
increase of solid gains in domestic
consumption
What is recycled material made into
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Because many Paper Mills use entirely
recovered paper, almost all paper products
contain some recovered paper
Economic disadvantages
The paper recycling industry has made blows
to the lumber industry resulting in some job
loss in the lumber field.
Pollution
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The EPA has found that recycling causes
35% less water pollution and 74% less air
pollution than making virgin paper
Paper vs. Plastic
Causes air pollution
Consumes energy
Consumes water
Inefficient recycling
Produces waste
Biodegrading difficulties
Litter
Danger to wildlife
Long term degrading
Recycling difficulties
ALUMINUM
By: Gayathri Jaikumar, Sabrina Blanke, and David
Emory
What is aluminum?
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Aluminum is the 2nd most used metal after
steel (versatile)
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Aluminum industry manufactures $40 billion
in products each year
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Sustainable metal and can be reused
Comes from mining bauxite (naturally occurring)
US generated about 1.9 million tons of aluminum as containers and
packaging. (2011)
1.6 million tons of aluminum were used to make durable and nondurable
goods (appliances and automobile parts)
Aluminum products..
**Aluminum cans are lightweight, convenient, portable, and keep beverages cold. Used to package
soda, beer, and other beverages, and account for most of the beverage packaging market for
some products.**
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Soda Cans
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Baking Tins
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Spray cans
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Foil
Paper Clips
Transportation and Parts and License Plates
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Recycling Aluminum
Aluminum is the most recyclable of all materials: it is
four times more valuable than other recycled consumer
materials
The US aluminum can recycling rate hit 67% in 2012
(According to data released by the Aluminum
Association, Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI)
The new rate marks progress towards the
SAVING ENERGY
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Recycling ONE can of aluminum can save
enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours..OR
a 100 watt bulb for almost a day.
Recycling aluminum cans (on average) can
save 10 cubic yards of landfill space.
Throwing away a single aluminum can is like
pouring out six ounces of gasoline
Recycling Aluminum
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the consumer throws aluminum cans/foil into a recycling bin
next, it is collected and taken to a treatment plant
in the treatment plant, it is cleaned for processing
it goes through a remelt process, turning the cans/foil into molten
aluminum, removing ink that may still remain
cooled into large blocks called ingots (each block containing 1.6 million
aluminum cans)
ingots are rolled out at mills, which makes the new aluminum stronger and
more flexible
this is then remade into packaging and aluminum cans
in 6 weeks, the aluminum is ready to go back to stores and be used again
Why is it important to recycle
aluminum?
1. The Hall Process of turning bauxite into aluminum for cans and foil
uses a lot of energy. In recycling just one aluminum can, you can save
the amount of energy it takes to keep a TV on for 3 hours.
2. In the Hall Process, current passes through graphite electrodes
submerged in molten aluminum. When this happens, carbon dioxide is
released into the environment. Recycling aluminum releases only 5%
of this carbon dioxide.
3. Recycling aluminum requires strip-mining, where soil upon the site is
removed, and that means that vegetation at the site is destroyed as
well.
4. Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely; it’s a valuable commodity!
Challenges of recycling
aluminum
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Recycling aluminum requires a lot of pollution
(electricity and gasoline to transport ore).
There is no funding to look into more environmentally
friendly ways of recycling aluminum.
Potential for contamination, even if the plant is sure that
they are recycling solely aluminum products. Even slight
impurities can vary the aluminum’s properties.
Recycled Material
The market for recycled aluminum is growing
rapidly. It is cheaper, faster, and more efficient to
recycle aluminum in today’s economy. It only
requires 10% of the capital it took to make the
aluminum to recycle it.
Recycled aluminum can be made into aluminum
drinking cans and aluminum packaging.
Reducing and Reusing Aluminum
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Eliminate or reduce your aluminum foil use!
- ONE American throws away about 3 lbs of aluminum foil each year
- Reuse aluminum foil until it can’t be used anymore (then recycle it)
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Don’t dispose aluminum pans (reuse them)
Reduce or find ways to reduce the amount of aluminum cans used
Disadvantages to recycling
aluminum
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High energy costs in reprocessing and transporting
materials (recycling trucks)
The need to be separated from
tin/steel/plastic/other debris
Sorting is time consuming
When aluminum is continually recycled, it loses
quality
Advantages heavily outweigh the disadvantages
Advantages to Recycling Aluminum
Environmental
Economic
- There is no limit to how many times
- Cheap
aluminum can be recycled
-Fast
- Energy efficient
industry
- Generates jobs in the recycling
-Saves precious resources
- Saves time
- Recycling aluminum saves 90-95 percent of
- Helps to pay for community service projects
the energy needed to make aluminum from
(Aluminum industry pays a billion dollars for
bauxite ore.
organizations like Habitat For Humanity and local
recycled aluminum cans- the money supports
schools/churches that sponsor aluminum recycling
programs)
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OUTLOOK
The Dutchess County Mandatory Source
Separation Law was passed in 1990
-This includes recycling aluminum food/drink
cans and aluminum foil products
Local centers (ex. Mid-Hudson Aluminum
Cans Recycling, INC.)
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Recycling rates are increasing in the statewide (NY)
and nationally. (both econ. and enviro. viable)
FACTS ABOUT
ALUMINUM
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Discovered in the 1820s, aluminum is the most abundant metal
An average of 113,204 aluminum cans are recycled every minute.
20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce 1 can using
virgin ore
Throwing away an aluminum can wasted as much energy as pouring out half of
that cans volume of gasoline
Making new aluminum cans from used cans takes 95% less energy than using
virgin materials
Increasing the rate of recycling of aluminum could cut a million tons of pollutants
per year out of the atmosphere (making/burning aluminum is a dirty process)
Recycling aluminum is fast (back on the shelf in a month), pays for itself, and is