We are going to begin a new blog on our website. Once or Twice a week we begin publishing information about different types of material that can be recycled! Each month we are going to focus on a different type of material. We will be posting this new blog information through 2012. And for February, we are going to focus on plastic.

Plastic Recycling Facts

• According to the Beverage Marketing Corp, the average American consumed 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976. In 2006, that number jumped to 28.3 gallons.
• More than 2.4 billion pounds of plastic bottles were recycled in 2008. Although the amount of plastic bottles recycled in the U.S. has grown every year since 1990, the actual recycling rate remains steady at around 27 percent.
• In 2007, more than 325 million pounds of wide-mouth plastic containers were recovered for recycling. (This included deli containers, yogurt cups, etc.)
• In recent years, the number of U.S. plastics recycling business has nearly tripled. More than 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics.
• Plastics in the U.S. are made primarily (70 percent) from domestic natural gas.
• Plastic bags and product wraps (known collectively as “plastic film”) are commonly recycled at the many collection programs offered through major grocery stores.
• Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.
• During Keep America Beautiful’s 2008 Great American Cleanup, volunteers recovered and recycled 189,000,000 PET (plastic) bottles that littered highways, waterways and parks.

Facts About Plastic Bottles

Here are some interesting facts and statistics about plastic bottles:

5.1 billion: Amount, in pounds, of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and jars available in the U.S. for recycling in 2009.

2,456 million: Amount, in pounds, of plastic bottles – including PET and HDPE – recycled in 2009, making it a record high.

46: Number of plastics collection programs that were added to U.S. communities in 2009.

28: Percentage of PET plastic bottles that got recycled in 2009.

44: Percentage increase in 2009 of RPET (Recycled PET) used in food and beverage bottles.

2/3: The amount of energy that is saved when producing new plastic products from recycled materials instead of raw (virgin) materials. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Six: The number of hours that the energy conserved from recycling a single plastic bottle can light a 60-watt light bulb.

19: The number of 20 oz. PET bottles it takes to yield enough fiber for an extra large T-shirt or one square foot of carpet.

You can find all of this information as well as more information on recycling at:

www.earth911.com