Recycling By Jacob Nolen Arkansas State University - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Recycling

By Jacob Nolen Arkansas State University jacob.nolen@smail.astate.edu

Recycling Statistics

 On average, every person produces 4.4 pounds of

waste a day. That adds up to nearly a ton of trash per person every year.

 Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380

gallons of oil, 4,000 kilowatts of energy, and 7,000 gallons of water.

 The U.S. is the #1 trash producing country in the world.  In the U.S., approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper

are thrown away every year.

 The amount of wood and paper we throw away each

year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years!

What is Recycling?

 Recycling is the process of using old

materials (waste) that we would normally throw away and turn into new and useful products.

Importance of Recycling

 Recycling is important today if we want to

leave this planet for generations to come.

 Recycling makes our environment clean.  Recycling reduces garbage in landfills.  It saves energy.  Conserves materials

Ways to Reduce

 Walk or ride a bike  Unplug

 Seldom-used appliances  Use power strips

 Turn off multiple objects at once  Set computers to sleep

 “Smart power strips”

 See the light

 Turn off light when

leaving a room

Other Ways to Reduce

 Take Control of the Temperature

 Set thermostat  Use sunlight wisely

 Use Appliances Efficiently

 Refrigerators  Dishwashers  Washers and Dryers  Ovens

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

 Protects

Environment

 Reduces Energy

Consumption

 Reduces Pollution

Disadvantages

 Not always cost

effective

 Recycled Products

May Not Last Long

 Unsafe and

Unhygienic Recycling Sites

Advantages and Disadvantages

 Reduces Global

Warming

 Conserves Natural

Resources

 Creates Green

Jobs

 Not widespread on

Large Scale

 High Initial Cost  Recycling

produces methane gas

What Happens to Stuff We Throw Away?

Discarded 50%

Combusted for energy 13%

Recycled 34%

Items We Can Recycle

 Plastics  Metals

 Aluminum Foil  Aluminum Cans

 Tin Cans  Steel Cans

 Bakeware

 Junk Mail  Glass  Paper

 Cardboard

 Magazines  Newspapers

 Batteries

 Electronics

Recycling in 3 Easy Steps

 Collection

 Four Methods

 Curbside, Drop-off Centers, Bu-back centers,

Deposit/Refund Programs

 Processing

 Items are sorted and broken down

 Purchase Recycled Products

 Buy items that have been recycled

References

 http://www.conserve-energy-

future.com/category/recycling

 http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.

asp

 http://www.recycling-

revolution.com/index.html