Recycling Statistics

  1. Energy
  2. Glass
  3. Junk Mail
  4. Metal
  5. Paper
  6. Plastic
  7. Solid Waste
  8. Steel
  9. Tires & Rubber
  10. Water
  11. Other

Energy

  • World electricity demand is expected to double between 2000 and 2030. The greatest increase will occur in the developing world, and the most rapid growth will occur in people's homes.
  • Improperly sealed or caulked windows can account for up to 25% of total energy loss from a house.
  • Lighting consumes up to 34% of electricity in the United States.
  • Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are an energy-saving alternative to incandescent bulbs - they produce the same amount of light, use 1/3 of the electricity, and last up to 10 times as long.
  • If every household replaced its most often-used incandescent light bulbs with CFLs, electricity use for lighting could be cut in half. 
  • Where electricity is produced from coal, each fluorescent lightbulb used prevents 1,300 pounds (nearly 600 kilograms) of CO2 emissions and 20 pounds of sulfur dioxide from being pumped into the atmosphere.
  • A refrigerator built 20 years ago uses 70% more energy than today's energy-efficient models.
  • Today's dishwashers are about 95% more energy-efficient than those bought in 1972 — your old dishwasher may be costing you more money in energy bills than it would take to buy a new 1.
  • Many idle electronics - TVs, VCRs, DVD and CD players, cordless phones, microwaves - use energy even when switched off to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working. Nationally, these energy “vampires” use 5 percent of our domestic energy and cost consumers more than $8 billion annually.