Recycling Facts for Kids

While the most important way to save valuable resources is to use as few as possible in the first place, recycling and using recycled products is the next step. Below you’ll find some fascinating Recycling Facts that will give you an idea of how much is used, and how much can be saved by recycling!

Recycling Glass

• Glass can be recycled virtually forever. It never wears out.
• For every 2,000 pounds of glass that is recycled, we save more than 2,000 pounds of other resources (1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone, and 151 pounds of feldspar)
• Most bottles and jars that you use contain at least 25% recycled material.
• The energy saved by recycling just one bottle could light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours

Recycling Metals

• Recycling an aluminum can saves 95% of the energy needed to make aluminum from bauxite ore
• In the United States, the amount of steel that is discarded and not recycled every year is enough to build all the new American-made cars

Recycling Paper

• 75% of each tree that is cut down for paper is not used in a paper product
• 98 tons of various resources are required to make one ton of paper
• Paper made from recycled paper uses 70% less energy

Recycling Plastic

• Americans use 4 million plastic bottles every hour, but only 25% of plastic bottles are recycled.

Thanks to the Washington State Department of Ecology for this valuable information.