Three Watson Irvine, CA Recycling

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1 Three Watson Irvine, CA Recycling

2 Contents Three Watson Irvine, CA Website: Copyright 2009 by Saddleback Educational Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-10: ISBN-13: ebook: Recycling: An Introduction...4 The Earth s Resources...6 Why Recycle? (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)...8 Hazardous Effects of Waste...10 Recycling and the Environment...12 Recycling Methods...14 Recycling Aluminum Cans...16 Recycling Paper...18 Recycling Plastic...20 Recycling Batteries...22 Recycling Building Materials...24 Recycling Asbestos...26 Recycling Clinical Waste...28 Recycling Computers...30 Recycling Cell Phones...32 Recycling Electrical Appliances...34 Recycling Wood...36 Recycling Glass...38 Recycling Metal...40 Recycling Paint and Oil...42 Recycling Textiles...44 Recycling Junk Mail...46 Recycling Home Water...48 Curbside Recycling...50 Recycling Cars...52 Recycling Used Vehicle Tires...54 Eco-Labels...56 What Do Those Numbers Mean on Plastic Containers?...58 What Cannot Be Recycled?...60 Facts and Figures...62 Index...64 Glossary...65

3 4 THINK GREEN: Recycling Recycling: An Introduction 5 Recycling: An Introduction Recycling is the remanufacturing of waste materials to make new products. It involves collecting and treating discarded materials as raw materials. Some commonly recycled materials include aluminum, glass, plastic, and paper. Recycling helps to save the earth s precious resources by treating waste as raw materials. It also helps the environment by saving energy and reducing pollution. The Four Steps to Recycling Recycling usually involves four steps: collection, sorting, reclaiming, reusing. 1. Collection: Materials like paper, aluminum cans, glass, and plastic are collected and taken to a recycling center. 2. Sorting: Materials are separated by type and grade because paper, aluminum cans, and plastic have different processing steps. 3. Reclaiming: Collected materials become reusable again through processing. For example, the aluminum cans are processed into large blocks called ingots, which are rolled out as long aluminum sheets. 4. Reusing: The reclaimed materials are used in new products. For example, the aluminum sheets create new aluminum cans. How much is recycled in the United States every year? Auto batteries: 99% Steel cans: 62.9% Yard trimmings: 62% Paper and paperboard: 51.6% Aluminum beverage cans: 45.1% Tires: 34.9% Plastic beverage bottles: 30.9% Glass containers: 25.3% What is waste? Waste is anything that we discard after use. It consists of newspapers, plastic or glass bottles, food scraps, furniture, clothing, appliances, paint, and batteries. In 2006, the United States produced more than 251 million tons of waste. The following table shows the amount of waste by percentage for the year Paper: 33.9% Yard trimmings: 12.9% Food scraps: 12.4% Plastics: 11.7% Metals: 7.6% Rubber, leather, and textiles: 7.3% Wood: 5.5% Glass: 5.3% Other: 3.3% Where does the waste go? In the United States, most of the waste is disposed of in landfills while the rest is recycled, composted, or burned. In 2006, 55% of waste was dumped in landfills. Recycled or composted waste accounted for 32.5%, or 82 million tons, while incinerated waste was 12.5% of the total. Recycling Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions Greenhouse gas emissions trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the earth s surface, which contributes to global climate change. Recycling helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2006, the recycling of 82 million tons of paper, yard trimmings, food scraps, plastics, metals, rubber, leather, textiles, glass, and wood prevented the release of a large amount of carbon into the atmosphere. This amount is roughly equal to the amount of carbon emitted by 39 million cars, saving energy equivalent to 10 billion gallons of gasoline. How to Manage Waste Waste can be better managed by reducing, recycling, and reusing materials. Waste can be reduced at the source by the manufacturers or by the consumers who buy and use the products. Manufacturers can alter the design and use of products to reduce the amount and toxicity of what gets thrown away. Recycling prevents waste by using waste materials as raw materials for new products. Recycling Helps Recycling prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants, saves energy, supplies valuable raw materials to industry, creates jobs, stimulates the development of greener technologies, conserves resources for our children s future, and reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators.

4 6 THINK GREEN: Recycling The Earth s Resources 7 The Earth s Resources Did you know? A faucet running for 3 minutes uses more than a quart of water. The Earth is our home planet. It is the only planet where life is known to exist. The Earth is an abundant reservoir of various natural resources. Some of these natural resources are water, soil, air, solar energy, coal, oil, and minerals. Fossil fuels are sources of energy, mineral deposits are sources of building materials, and forests are a source of fuel and other products. Natural resources may be living or non-living components that support life on Earth. Renewable and Nonrenewable There are two types of natural resources, renewable and nonrenewable. Renewable resources can be replaced or reproduced by natural processes. They can never be destroyed permanently. Renewable resources like solar energy, wind power, and hydroelectric power are used mainly in generating electricity. Nonrenewable resources are found in a fixed or limited amount and cannot be remade or regrown. Nonrenewable resources like coal, petroleum, and natural gas are used in generating electricity, heating homes, moving cars, and manufacturing various products. Renewable Resources Oxygen Fresh water Timber Biomass (plant materials and animal waste used as a source of fuel) Solar energy Wind power Hydroelectric power Tidal power Geothermal energy Earth Is in Danger Six billion human beings, along with millions of other species of living things, live on this planet. Human beings are primarily responsible for the exploitation of the planet s natural resources. The ever-growing population of humans requires more energy. This demand for more raw materials has led to a sharp decline in Earth s natural resources. Earth s natural resources are used to meet our growing demand for energy and products. Humans use energy in homes, industry, the workplace, and travel. Industries use around one-third of the total energy. Residential and commercial establishments together consume about 40% of the total energy, while transportation uses about 28% of the total energy. Nonrenewable Resources Gasoline Coal Oil Natural gas Diesel Nuclear power How can you help? Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Discover your carbon footprint. Replace an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb. Buy organic and locally grown food. Plant a tree. Walk more and drive less. Do not use plastic bags at the grocery store; bring your own cloth bags. Save Water and Energy Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth. Fix the faucet immediately if it drips. Always turn off the lights when not in use. Use the daylight rather than artificial light. Wear warm clothes and turn down the thermostat. Do not linger over an open refrigerator door. Use alternative sources of energy. Read books instead of watching television or playing video games. Keep computers, televisions, and other electrical appliances turned off when not in use.

5 8 THINK GREEN: Recycling Why Recycle? (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) 9 Why Recycle? (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Everyday people create a lot of waste. Most of this waste finds its way into landfills, which harms the environment. We can help reduce this waste by practicing the three Rs of recycling reduce, reuse, and recycle. By reducing, reusing, and recycling waste, we can save a lot of the earth s precious resources and help the environment. Reduce Reducing is using less, which prevents waste production. Both manufacturers and consumers can reduce their use. Ways to reduce waste: Purchase durable and long-lasting items. Look for toxic-free products and packaging. Buy products made from less raw material in production. Buy products that can be used again after their original use. Recycle Recycling turns things that are waste into usable materials. Recycling also includes composting. Many materials like glass, metal, plastics, and paper can be recycled. Recycling helps the environment by diverting waste from landfills and incinerators. It also helps in saving the precious natural resources of our planet. Recycling is also good for the economy as it creates new jobs. Reuse Reuse means to use items again after the original use. Reusing items can be done by repairing them, selling them, or donating them to charity and community groups. How to reuse: Use durable coffee mugs rather than paper cups. Use cloth napkins or towels rather than paper napkins or paper towels. Use refillable beverage bottles. Reuse plastic utensils instead of throwing them away. Reuse boxes. Turn empty jars into containers for leftover food. Purchase refillable pens and mechanical pencils. Participate in a paint collection and reuse program. Top 10 Reasons to Recycle 1. Saves money: Recycling provides raw materials required in manufacturing new products and thus saves money. 2. Creates new jobs: In the United States, 1.1 million workers are employed by more than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises. 3. Reduces waste: Recycling primarily helps in reducing waste. Around 7.5 pounds of waste is generated by each American every day. 4. Saves natural resources: Recycling consumes fewer natural resources. 5. Saves energy: The use of recycled materials saves energy in comparison to the use of original raw materials. 6. Saves landfill space: Recycling materials saves landfill space. 7. Prevents global warming: Recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions that result from manufacturing, transportation, and waste. Recycling prevented the release of 32.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent into the air in Creates less water pollution: Recycled materials used in manufactured goods create less water pollution than the original raw materials. 9. Protects wildlife: Recycling prevents the cutting of forests and damaging of rivers and wetlands. 10. Creates new demand: Recycling provides more and more recycled products and decreases waste generation. Top Tips for Reducing Waste Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. Use cotton cloths for cleaning and mopping up spills instead of paper towels. Buy loose fresh fruits and vegetables instead of packaged ones. Prepare a homemade lunch instead of buying packaged food. Buy in bulk or concentrates, which is cheaper and cuts down on packaging. Use cloth bags for shopping instead of plastic bags. Print or photocopy on both sides of paper. Reuse or recycle your old computer instead of throwing it away. Do not use disposable items like single-use cameras, paper plates, coffee filters, and razors. Borrow tools from friends instead of buying them. Share newspapers, books, and magazines with your friends. Benefits of Recycling Conserves valuable resources for future generations. Prevents emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants. Saves energy. Supplies valuable raw materials to industry. Creates jobs. Stimulates the development of greener technologies. Reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators. Top 10 Items to Recycle 1. Aluminum 2. PET or PETE plastic bottles labeled #1 3. Newspaper 4. Corrugated cardboard 5. Steel cans 6. HDPE plastic bottles labeled #2 7. Glass containers 8. Magazines 9. Mixed paper 10. Computers Things We Should Always Recycle (or Reuse!) Aluminum cans Appliances Batteries Building materials Cardboard Chemicals Electronic equipment Glass (particularly bottles and jars) Lead Magazines Metal Newspaper Oil Paint Paper