Energy and recycling
You already know that recycling keep tons of waste out of landfills. But did you know that recycling saves energy too?
The products we recycle, like pop cans, newspapers, glass and cardboard, are used to make new products. Companies using recycled materials will use 30% less energy, because if they didn't use recycled materials, they'd use a lot of a trees - and a lot of energy to cut them down, transport them hundreds of miles and grind them into paper pulp. Recycling makes a difference!
Making aluminum cans from recycled cans takes 95% less energy than making cans from raw aluminum ore.
The energy saved from recycling one ton of paper saves enough energy to power an average household for up to six months, saves 7,000 gallons of water and keeps 600 pounds of pollutants out of the air.
How can you help?
Everything you recycle at home and school helps save energy and the environment – so keep up the good work! Use your recycle bins and if they aren’t available, tell an adult and take the materials with you to recycle.
You can keep doing good for our planet when you're buying things too. The next time you go to the store, keep an eye out for products that say "Made from recycled..." on the package.
And one more earth-friendly tip: be sure look for products that don't have a lot of extra packaging. It takes a lot of extra energy to make shrink-wrap, bubble paper and foam peanuts and most of it can't be recycled.