TRIVIA AND FACTS
ALUMINUM
Every minute of every day over 120,000 aluminum cans are
recycled in the U.S. (11)
Recycling aluminum results in 95%
less air pollution and 97% less water
pollution than producing aluminum
from natural resources. (9)
Recycling aluminum saves 95% of
the energy that would be required to
mine bauxite ore and extract
alumina; the raw materials needed to
manufacture aluminum. (49)
For each pound of aluminum
recycled, you eliminate the need to
mine four pounds of bauxite ore. (48)
Recycling 1 ton of aluminum saves the equivalent in energy
of 2,350 gallons of gasoline. This is equivalent to the amount
of electricity used by the typical home over a period of 10
years. (28)
1
One recycled aluminum can saves enough electricity to
operate a TV for 3 hours. (55)
Using recycled aluminum beverage cans to produce new
cans allows the aluminum can industry to make up to 20
times more cans for the same amount of energy. (11)
Americans discard enough aluminum to rebuild our entire
commercial air fleet every 3 months. (2)
The aluminum beverage can returns to the grocer's shelf as a
new, filled can in as little as 90 days after collection, remelting, rolling, manufacturing and distribution. Consumers
could purchase the same recycled aluminum can from a
grocer's shelf every 13 weeks or 4 times a year. (11)
It's estimated that since 1972 some 13 million tons of
aluminum cans have been recycled in the U.S. These 534.7
billion aluminum cans placed end-to end could stretch to the
moon some 170 times. (11)
The average American family recycles 150 six packs of
aluminum cans a year. (1)
Used aluminum cans are melted down into ingots that can
weigh as much as 30,000 tons. That's enough aluminum to
make 1.6 million cans. (38)
When introduced in the early 1960's, 1,000 aluminum
beverage cans weighed about 55 lbs. Today, through
improved design, 1,000 aluminum beverage cans weigh less
2
than 35 lbs. This is a significant reduction in raw material use
and in waste to be recycled. (38)
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), aluminum cans represent less than 1% of the nation's
solid waste stream. (11)
Recycling has created an estimated 30,000 jobs since 1970.
In 1985, an estimated 2 million aluminum can collectors
earned over 200 million dollars for their recycling efforts. (3)
To make a ton of aluminum from raw materials, we have to
treat and dispose of 3,290 lbs. of red mud, 2,900 lbs. of
carbon dioxide, 81 lbs. of air pollutants and 789 lbs. of solid
wastes. (5)
COMPOST
In Sacramento County, 150,000 cubic yards of grass
clippings (or the equivalent of a 7 story building the size of a
football field) are generated every year. (50)
Americans throw away about 10% of the food they buy at
the supermarket. This results in dumping the equivalent of
more than 21 million shopping bags full of food into landfills
every year. (21)
3
One pound of red worms can consume half a pound of food
waste every day. (26)
Recycling an averagesize family's yard waste
can make about 300-400
pounds of finished
compost, or humus, a
year. (21)
Thirty-five million tons
of yard trimmings
(including grass, leaves,
and tree and brush
trimmings) are generated in the U.S. annually. Each year,
12% of the yard trimmings produced are composted. (62)
Fallen leaves contain 50-80% of the nutrients that a tree
extracts from the Earth. By composting them, we're helping
the earth replenish itself. (21)
Grass makes up 70% of all yard waste. If grass clippings are
short enough, they quickly decompose and supply the soil
with nitrogen and carbon. (21)
When yard waste is buried in landfills, where there is not
much oxygen, it releases methane gas, a powerful
greenhouse gas that contributes to air pollution and global
warming. Methane and other toxins can also condense into
liquid and leach into groundwater. (21)
4
GLASS
In the U.S., approximately 13.2 million tons of glass waste is
generated annually and about 22% of all glass beverage
containers are recycled. (62)
About 5 billion glass bottles and jars of all kinds are recycled
each year in the United States; a nearly 500% increase in the
last ten years. That represents about 2.5 billion pounds of
glass that won't end up in a landfill. (38)
We save over a ton of
resources for every ton
of glass recycled1, 330
lbs. of sand, 433 lbs. Of
soda ash, 433 lbs. Of
limestone and 151 lbs.
of feldspar. (21)
A ton of glass produced
from raw materials
creates 384 pounds of mining waste, using 50% recycled
glass, cuts it by about 75%. (21)
Using recycled glass to make new glass cuts related air
pollution by up to 20%. (10)
5
Recycling 1 ton of glass saves the equivalent in energy of 10
gallons of oil. (28)
Recycling a glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100watt bulb for 4 hours. (51)
Most bottles and jars contain at least 25% recycled glass.
Glass never wears out-it can be recycled forever. (21)
About 75% of the United State's glass are used for
packaging. (21)
If all the glass bottles and jars collected through recycling in
the U.S. in 1994 were laid end to end, they'd reach the moon
and half way back to earth. (24)
Glass containers recycled in the U.S. in 1994 would fill
103,333 tractor-trailers. Bumper to bumper, they'd stretch
from Dallas to Los Angeles. (24)
Glass makes up about 8% of America's municipal waste. (21)
More than 4,000 California restaurants and bars recycle their
glass. (6, 10)
LANDFILLS
From 1991 to 1995, the number of landfills has declined by
49%. That is 2,833 less landfills in the U.S. (15)
6
We dump most of the magazines printed in the U.S. each
year (about 8 million tons) into landfills. If we recycled just
half of them, we could save over 12 million cubic yards of
landfill space. (21)
More than two-thirds of the material going into landfills is
degradable. However, very little change occurs because
moisture is the most important environmental variable of
degradation. Landfills are kept as dry as possible to help
prevent groundwater
contamination from
runoff. For example,
newspapers are still
readable more than 20
years after being
thrown away. Food,
such as T- bone steaks
and hot dogs, remain
relatively unchanged for more than a decade. (17)
In 1993, 207 million tons of garbage was generated in the
U.S.; that's 4.4 pounds per person per day. After recycling
and composting, 3.4 pounds of garbage per person per day
was combusted or sent to landfills. (61)
The Environmental Protection Agency projects that per
capita generation of solid waste will decrease by the year
2000 from 4.4 pounds per person per day to 4.3 pounds. (61)
7
Between 1990 and 1993, materials recovered for recycling
and composting in the U.S., increased from 38 million tons
to 45 million tons, an increase of 18%. (61)
In 1985, 83% of our garbage was landfilled, in 1993, this
figure dropped to 62%. Even with this reduction, landfilling
continues to be the single most predominant waste
management method reaching in to the year 2000. (61)
OIL
In 1994, 214 million gallons of oil were sold in California
and of that, 122 million gallons of used oil were generated.
Only 75 million gallons of that used oil were recycled
properly which leaves 47 million gallons unaccounted
for. (6)
A quart of motor oil can
pollute 250,000 gallons of
water and 1 acre of land 1
inch deep. (21, 51)
Americans throw away
enough used motor oil every
year to fill 120 supertankers.
(21)
About 62 % of all oil-related
8
pollution in the U.S. is caused by improper disposal of used
motor oil and is the single largest source of oil pollution
(over 40%) in our nation's waterways. (21, 57)
It is easier and cheaper to recycle used oil than to make new
oil from crude. One gallon of used oil can produce the same
amount of motor oil as 42 gallons of crude oil while
requiring about a third of the energy. (13)
If all used motor oil in the U.S. were recycled, it would result
in a saving of 1.3 million barrels of oil per day. (14)
Used oil can be re-refined into good-as-new lubricating oil.
Oil never wears out it just gets dirty. (57)
Used oil can be reprocessed into fuel oil, which contains
about 140,000 BTU's of energy and can be burned efficiently.
(57)
The U.S. currently imports about 60% of our oil and within
20 years we will be importing 100% at a cost of $150 billion
annually. (45)
The world will need twice the raw materials in 2010 that it
does today. Maintaining the same level of oil usage will
require discovering as much in the next 10 years as has been
found in all history. (52)
9
PAPER
Each year, the United States
uses 85.5 million tons of paper,
of which we recycle 22%, or 19
million tons. Of the remaining
paper, we could recycle up to
70% or 46 million tons. And
those 46 million tons could save
782 million
trees. (39, 63)
An average family of 3 produces
about 5 lbs. /week, 20lbs. /mo.,
or 250 lbs./yr. of used newspaper. (39, 63)
Every day, Americans buy about 62 million newspapers and
throw out around 44 million of them. If we recycled just half
our newsprint every year, we would need 3,200 fewer
garbage trucks to collect our trash. (21)
If you're an average American, it's going to take 465 trees to
provide you with a lifetime of paper. (60)
Americans throw away the equivalent of more than 30
million trees in newsprint each year. (21)
10
Americans discard 4 million tons of office paper every year.
That's enough to build a 12 foot-high wall of paper from
New York to California. (21)
In 1988, Americans used enough Kraft paper for a person to
take a brown bag lunch to school or work for 64 million
years. (21)
If Americans recycled every phone book each year, an
estimated 650,000 tons of paper could be saved. (21)
Recycling half the world's paper would free 20 million acres
of forestland. (21)
Recycling one stack of newspapers about 6 feet tall saves the
life of one tree 35 feel tall. Recycling approximately 1 ton of
newspapers saves 17 trees. (51)
If you stacked up all the paper an average American use in a
year, the pile would be as tall as a two-story house. (20)
Americans use about 30 billion cardboard boxes a year.
That's enough to make a pile as big as a football field and as
high as the World Trade Center in New York. If every person
in America recycled just 1 box a month, more than a billion
boxes a year could be kept out of landfills. (41)
The EPA has found that making paper from recycled
materials results in 74% less air pollution and 35% less water
pollution. This means that every ton of recycled paper keeps
almost 60 pounds of pollutants out of the atmosphere that
11
would have been produced if the paper had been
manufactured from virgin resources. (43)
If everyone who subscribes to the New York Times recycled
his or her old newspapers, we would keep over 6,000 tons of
pollution out of the air every year. (21)
Every ton of recycled paper saves approximately 4 barrels of
oil, 4200-kilowatt hours of energy and enough energy to hear
and air-condition the average North American home for at
least 6 months. (55)
In Germany, the most advanced pulp mills produce a piece of
paper using only seven times its weight in water. Around the
world, older factories use up to 100 times this amount. (36)
Nearly 30% of all paper is now reused to make insulation,
building materials, or other paper products. In all, about 13
million tons are recovered each year- including 4 million
tons that are exported to foreign markets. (39)
Office paper has already been bleached, and compared to
newsprint there is not much ink. As a result, recycled paper
manufacturers only have to use 25% as much bleach as the
original manufacturers used. This cuts down on dioxins in
our water. (21)
Paper products consume 35% of the world's annual
commercial wood harvest and this figure is expected to
increase to 50% by the year 2000. (19)
12
Recycled paper saves water. Recycled paper production uses
58% less water compared to virgin paper production. (19)
One ton of paper made completely from recycled scrap saves
7,000 gallons of water, 4100-kilowatt hours of energy, three
cubic yards of landfill space and 17 trees. (10)
Recycled paper is made to the same standards as paper made
from virgin pulp. Moreover, recycled paper has features that
make it more desirable than virgin paper, such as being more
opaque, dense, and flexible. (19)
Paper plus cardboard combined make up 73% of the
materials in the landfill. (61)
Californians recycle more paper than any other material in
our waste stream-- some 2,647,000 tons annually. (10)
For every 15,000 tons of old newspaper recycled annually,
30 jobs are created to collect the paper, 40 jobs are created to
process the paper, and 75 jobs are required to manufacture
the newsprint. (31)
It is estimated that recycling paper from California's "urban
forest" has helped to sustain some 9,000 jobs while adding
more than $2.2 billion of value to the State economy. (10)
Making a ton of virgin paper requires 3,688 lbs. Of wood,
24,000 gallons of water, 216 lbs. Of lime, 360 lbs. Of salt
cake and 76 lbs. Of soda ash. We then have to treat and
13
dispose of 84 lbs. Of air pollutants, 36 lbs. Of water
pollutants and 176 lbs. Of solid waste. (5)
PLASTICS
Plastics are made from petroleum a limited, nonrenewable
resource. It is predicted
that by the year 2040,
the Earth's usable
petroleum reserves will
have been depleted.
(56)
In 1987, the U.S. used
almost 1 billion barrels
of oil, just to make
plastics. (51)
When buried, some plastic materials may last for 700 years.
(Manufacturers add inhibitors that resist the decomposition
process necessary to break down the plastic.) (51)
If the Pilgrims had six-packs, we'd still have the plastic rings
from them today. (21)
Over 46,000 pieces of plastic debris float on every square
mile of ocean. (51)
14
Although polystyrene foam is completely non-biodegradable,
it is recyclable. (21)
If you lined up all the polystyrene foam cups made in just
one day, they would circle the earth. (20)
Plastics are the fastest growing share of the U.S. waste
stream accounting for 5% of household throwaways. Every
American uses almost 200 pounds of plastic in a year--60
pounds of it for packaging. (51)
According to Dr. Jack Milgram, a plastics analyst,
“Recycling plastics saves twice as much energy as burning
them...” (51)
Americans use 4 million plastic bottles every hour, but only
1 bottle out of 4 is recycled. (41)
Americans make enough low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
plastic every year to shrink-wrap the state of Texas. Most of
it ends up in landfills. (41)
Plastics are part of the waste stream: although they account
for only 8% of the waste by weight, they occupy about 20%
of the volume in a landfill due to their low bulk density. (22)
In 1988 we used 2 billion pounds of HDPE just to make
bottles for household products. That's about the weight of
900,000 Honda Civics. (21)
15
Over 16 million tons of plastic waste is generated annually in
the U.S. and about 2.2% o of all plastics is currently
recycled. (62)
In the United States, some 3.7 billion PET soft drink bottles
(representing 38%) sold in 1992 were recycled, up from 2.8
billion in 1991. This surpasses the plastic industry's goal of
recycling 25% of all types of plastic bottles by
1995. (38)
By the year 2000, PET bottle use in the U.S. is expected to
reach 4.7 billion pounds, an increase of 143% since 1994.
(29)
Since the introduction of PET containers in the late 1970's,
the industry has reduced the weight of PET in 2-liter bottles
from 67 grams on average to about 48 grams; a 28%
reduction. (38)
About nine billion plastic bottles are produced annually in
the U.S., about two-thirds of which end up in landfills or
incinerators. Most of the rest go to Wellman Inc. a recycling
facility in South Carolina. Wellman annually recycles about
2.4 billion plastic bottles into a polyester fiber known as
Fortrel EcoSpun, which ends up in active wear. (40)
It takes 5 recycled two-liter PET bottles to make enough
fiberfill for a ski jacket. (37)
It takes 1,050 recycled milk jugs to make a 6-foot plastic
park bench. (21)
16
STEEL AND OTHER METALS
About 70% of all metal is used just once and discarded. The
remaining 30% is recycled. After 5 cycles, one-fourth of 1%
of the metal remains in
circulation. (27)
About 12.3 million tons of steel waste is generated annually
in the U.S., overall, about 15.4% of steel in the waste stream
is recycled. (62)
Making tin cans from recycled
steel takes only one-fourth of the
energy needed to make them from
new steel and creates only onefourth of the water and air
pollution created by making cans
from new steel. (41)
For every pound of steel that is
recycled, enough energy is saved
to light a 60- watt bulb for more
than a day. (23)
Americans use 100 million tin and
steel cans every day. Every minute, more than 9,000 tin cans
are recovered from the trash with magnets. (21)
17
Every day, Americans use enough steel and tin cans to make
a steel pipe running from Los Angeles to New York and back
again. (21)
During the last decade, world steel makers recycled almost
2.5 billion tons of steel. (21)
Americans throw away enough steel every year to build all
the new cars made in America. (41)
In 1993, approximately 36 million appliances, 30 million
tons of steel construction and demolition debris, and 94% of
discarded automobiles were recycled. (58)
100 lbs. Of recycled steel replace almost 150 lbs. Of steel
ore. When steel cans were introduced in 1935, they weighed
172 lbs. per thousand; today, they weigh 70 lbs. per
thousand. (38)
In 1989, enough scrap copper was recycled in the U.S. to
supply the wiring and plumbing for every building
constructed already that year. (21)
TIRES
Americans discard 280 million tires a year, 25 to 30% of
which are re-treaded or otherwise reused. (33)
18
About eight out of every ten
tires in the U.S. wind up in
landfills or "stockpiles." An
estimated 2 to 3 billion tires are
currently stockpiled in the
United States. (21)
At one site near Modesto,
California, 8 million tires were
stockpiled as of 1991. By 1995,
through recycling efforts, that
number was reduced to 2
million. (44)
Artificial reefs, breakwaters and erosion control barriers
made with whole tires can preserve precious natural habitats.
(53)
It takes half a barrel of crude oil to produce the rubber in just
1 truck tire. (21)
WASTE
The average baby generates a ton of
garbage every year. (21)
In the United States, we throw away
18 billion disposable diapers per year
19
at a cost of 15-35 cents a piece (diaper services only charge
7-20 cents per diaper). (28)
In the United States, we throw away the same amount of
trash per person as we did in 1910 (a lot of coal ash was
produced from heating homes). (28)
In 1990, cities in California paid over $1 billion to get rid of
their trash. Some cities have resorted to shipping their waste
hundreds of miles away. Developing countries are being
contracted as dumping grounds for U.S. trash. (26)
Americans represent only 5% of the world's population, but
generate 30% of the world's garbage. (59)
In the United States, we throw away enough garbage per day
to fill 63,000 garbage trucks that hold 7-14 tons of trash. On
an annual basis, we fill up enough garbage trucks to form a
line that would stretch from earth halfway to the moon. (28)
Estimates indicate that commercial and recreational boats
dump over 14 billion pounds of trash into our seas each year.
(2)
In a lifetime, the average American will throw away 600
times his or her adult weight in garbage. If you add it up, this
means that a 150 pound adult will leave a legacy of 90,000
pounds of trash for his or her children. (21)
For every $1,000 of fast food sales, 200 pounds of trash is
created. (51)
20
Californians create about 46 million tons of trash every year.
Enough to fill 2 freeway lanes 100 feet deep from Oregon to
Mexico. (51)
Americans make more than twice as much trash per person
as people of other countries such as Japan and Germany. (51)
Of the garbage Americans throw out, half could be recycled.
That's enough to fill a football stadium from top to bottom
every day. (26)
Every year, the U.S. generates about 450 million cubic yards
of trash-enough to bury 26,000 football fields in a layer of
garbage ten feet deep. (39)
In Perkasie, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, residents buy
specially marked garbage bags from the city at $1.00 for a
20-pound bag and $1.75 for a 40- pound bag. The charge cut
residential waste nearly in half in 1988, the first year of the
program. (34)
Recycling generates on an average one job for every 465
tons of materials handled each year. In other words,
Americans generate around 200 million tons of municipal
solid waste each year making 43,000 recycling jobs. (66)
21
TEXTILES
Post-consumer textile product waste in the U.S. annually
comprises about 4.5% of the residential waste stream, which
translates into approximately 35 pounds per person, totaling
8.75 billion pounds. (16)
The textile recycling industry, with some 350 members
around the world, removes annually from the waste stream
2.5 billion pounds of post-consumer textile product waste.
(16)
The 2.5 billion pounds of post consumer textile waste
represents 10 pounds for every person in the U.S. Of this
amount, approximately 500 million pounds are used by the
collection agency, with the clothing dealers and exporters,
wiping rag graders, and fiber recyclers. (16)
Textile recycling firms purchase a large percentage of their
raw materials from charitable institutions, who in turn use
these funds to house, feed, and train the less fortunate. (16)
Textile industry members are able to recycle 93% of the
waste they process- without producing any new hazardous
waste or harmful by-products. (16)
Textile recyclers export 61% of their products, thus reducing
the U.S. trade deficit. (16)
22
MISCELLANEOUS
Our Litter & Its Decomposition Time:
★
Glass Bottles/Jars 1,000,000 years
★
Aluminum Cans 80-100 years
★
Rubber Boot Soles 50-80 years
★
Leather Items up to 50 years
★
Nylon Material 30-40 years
★
Plastic Bags/Disposable Diapers 10-20 years
★
Plastic Coated Paper 5 years
★
Wool Cap 1-5 years
★
Cigarette Butts 1-5 years
★
Orange and Banana Peels 2-5 weeks
★
Newspaper 2-4 weeks (47)
An average American uses 8 times the natural resources of
the average world citizen and produces 5 times the air
pollution of the average world citizen. (60)
23
The world's forests are being destroyed at the rate of 1 acre
per second. Every 16 minutes, a forest the size of New York's
Central Park is destroyed. Every day, a forest the size of
Philadelphia (74,000 acres) is lost, and every year, an area
the size of Pennsylvania (27 million acres) is ruined. (12, 60)
To date, scientists have named 1.4 million species plants and
animals, but estimate that between 5-30 million share our
planet. Tropical rain forests, which are home to about half of
all the Earth's plant and animal species, are being destroyed
at the rate of 100 acres per minute. (56)
Rechargeable batteries cost more than disposable batteries,
but they save money in the long run because they can be
recharged up to 1,000 times! If you take care of them, they
can last up to 10 years! (41)
In the United States, about 1.5 million tons of used
automotive (lead-acid) batteries are generated annually and
about 96% of automotive batteries are recycled each year.
(62)
Sixty percent of the world's lead supply comes from recycled
car batteries. (21)
Audits conducted by students in Brown University's
environmental studies program show that the school can save
more than $40,000 a year just by replacing the incandescent
bulbs in exit signs with fluorescent bulbs, Installing low-flow
24
shower heads in dormitories would save another $44,000.
(32)
In 1993, a curbside bin of recyclables was worth $46 per ton.
In 1995, a curbside bin of recyclables was worth $165 per
ton - an increase of 259%. (29)
We pay more for food packaging than we pay the American
farmer for growing food. (54)
The 64-store Purity Supreme supermarket chain in Bedford,
MA, has opened "green checkout lanes" that are open only to
customers who bring their own bags to the store. (35)
In a supervised project, Boulder County, Colorado dumped
over 5,000 old Christmas trees on the bottoms of nearby
lakes. Sound strange? It's an ecological benefit, the trees
shelter fish and attract bugs for them to eat. (21)
In a long-term research program at the State University of
New York at Stony Brook, ash fabricated into concrete
blocks is being used for artificial reefs. (4)
1991 study by Carnegie Mellon predicted that 25 million
personal computers would be landfilled worldwide by 1995,
and this number would increase to 150 million--enough to
fill an acre-wide hole three and a half mites deep-by the year
2005. (42)
25
At about $500 million, the cost of building an incinerator is
three times that of recycling facilities that can handle the
same amount of trash. (66)
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
In some cities, garbage was simply tossed out the window
and covered periodically with dirt. During the Bronze Age in
Troy, it is estimated that the street level rose an average of
about 4.7 feet per century! Gradually, ancient cities like
Athens and Jerusalem developed city codes regulating the
disposal of garbage. (64)
About 500 B.C., Athens issued the first known edict against
throwing garbage into the streets, and organized the first
municipal dumps by requiring scavengers to dispose of waste
no less than one mile from the city walls. (65)
The biggest advance in glass manufacturing prior to the 19th
century occurred in 200 BC when Babylonian craftsmen
discovered the art of glass blowing. (46)
From the time of its development in 105 A.D. by the Chinese
civil servant, Ts'ai Lun, to the early 19th century, the raw
material of paper was rags. A chronic shortage of rags
developed toward the end of the 18th century. More people
26
were reading, more books were being
printed and, consequently, the price of
paper rose while the supply diminished.
The results of the shortage were new
papermaking methods: In 1802, Mathias
Koop began making paper from straw
and various wood pulps and on it
printed a history of paper. In 1844, the
mechanical pulper was developed; a
chemical process followed ten years later. Once pulp could
be made in large quantities, papermaking machines were
quickly developed and trees began to be "digested" in large
quantities. (46)
In 1690, paper recycling in the U.S. was born when the first
paper mill was established by the Rittenhouse family on the
banks of the Wissahickon Creek, near Philadelphia, PN. The
paper at this mill was made from recycled
rags. (30)
Napoleon III is reported to have been the aluminum
industry's first customer. The French emperor backed HenriEtienne Sainte-Claire Deville's chemical extraction
experiments. Deville developed a practical way to produce
aluminum chemically. When the experiments produced the
first aluminum in any quantity, it went into a rattle for the
emperor's son. (25)
27
Napoleon had dinnerware made of aluminum. At this time,
less important guests had to use gold and silver. (25)
In 1865, an estimated 10,000 hogs roamed New York City,
eating garbage. (21)
In 1868, John Wesley Hyatt invented the first plastic
(celluloid) to make billiard balls during an ivory shortage
that threatened the billiard industry. (18)
Photographic film made with celluloid (one of the first
plastics) was perfected in the late 1800's. Celluloid film led
to a new era in entertainment, the motion picture. (18)
Curbside recycling originated in 1874 in Baltimore. (21)
The first systematic incineration of municipal refuse was
tested in Nottingham, England, in 1874. (65)
In 1875, the nation's first incinerator in New York was born.
By 1938, design improvements led as many as 700 cities to
use incinerators. Now, because of growing concerns over
pollution, all but 169 cities have extinguished their garbage
burners. (30)
In 1889, a Washington, D.C. health official wrote:
“Appropriate places for [refuse] are becoming scarcer year
by year ... The waste must be provided for, and provisions
should not be longer delayed.” (30)
In 1897, MRF's were born in the U.S. when New York City
had its rubbish delivered to a “picking yard”. Here it was
28
separated into five grades of paper, four grades of metal and
three grades of carpet. Burlap bags, twine, rubber and
horsehair were also separated for reuse. (30)
During World War I, reducing the weight of bicycles saved
2,000 tons of steel. (21)
By 1915, 89% of all major U.S. cities had municipal garbage
collection service. (21)
In the mid-1930's, the first "sanitary landfills" were built in
California and New York. These were really only open pit
dumps, covered with dirt regularly to hide trash and cut
down on flies, rats and odors. (21)
During the raw materials shortage of World War II, virtually
all of the worlds silk was used up in the war effort. As a
result, women's silk stockings were replaced with nylon
stockings. Today, we just call them "nylons." (18)
During WWII, salvaging metal straps from corsets saved
enough metal to build 2 warships. (21)
As late as 1947, virtually 100% of all beverage containers
were returnable. (21)
The first "architectural" use of aluminum was the cast 100ounce tip of the Washington Monument (which is still in
place). (25)
The compacting garbage truck, called the "Packer," was
introduced in 1950. (21)
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In 1955, the Corvette became the first car built with plastic
body panels. (18)
Between 1960 and 1984, the number of soda containers in
America's solid waste stream has tripled. (21)
The all-aluminum can was introduced in 1964. (21) The first
PET bottle was recycled in 1977. (37)
In 1982, the U.S. Army started
using a helmet made of a plastic
composite called Kevlar* - the
same material in bulletproof vests
used by police officers. The plastic
helmet is about 30% more effective
at stopping shell fragments.
(18)*'Trademark of E.I. DuPont & Company Inc..
In 1986, Rhode Island became the nation's first state to pass a
mandatory recycling law for aluminum and steel “tin” cans,
glass, plastic (PET and HDPE) and newspapers. (30)
In 1987, the infamous “Garbage Barge”, the Mobro 4,000,
sailed down the East Coast, through the Bahamas, to Belize
and Mexico. The barge was refused permission to dock at
each port. After 6,000 miles of sailing, the ship's load of trash
was incinerated and the ash was buried on New York's Long
Island-- where the garbage originated! (30)
In 1989, more than 90,000 African elephants were killed for
their ivory. Even when most countries prohibited commercial
30
trade of ivory, poaching still occurred. However, the
increased use of plastic as an ivory replacement has reduced
the demand and price of ivory, making poaching less
profitable. (18)
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