Energy Costs and Conservation Facts:
Aluminum: * Recycled aluminum saves 95 percent energy versus virgin aluminum; recycling of one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. * Recycled aluminum reduces pollution by 95 percent. * Enough aluminum is thrown away to rebuild our commercial air fleet four times every year.
Glass: * Recycled glass saves 50 percent energy versus virgin glass. * Recycling of one glass container saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours. * Recycled glass generates 20 percent less air pollution and 50 percent less water pollution. * Glass can be reused an infinite number of times; over 41 billion glass containers are made each year. * Over 1 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.
Paper: * Recycled paper saves 60 percent energy versus virgin paper. * Recycling of each ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water. * Every year enough paper is thrown away to make a 12 foot wall from New York to California. * Production of recycled paper uses 80 percent less water, 65 percent less energy and produces 95 percent less air pollution than virgin paper production. * If offices throughout the country increased the rate of two-sided photocopying to 60 percent, they could save the equivalent of about 15 million trees.
Plastic: * If we recycled every plastic bottle we used, we would keep two billion tons of plastic out of landfills. * We use enough plastic wrap to wrap all of Texas every year.
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