Have any of you checked into the pollution caused by recycling efforts vs. the benefits of recylcing ?

Question

I work for an architectural firm...everyone's telling us to go green in our design efforts. Great idea, but just curious about the process of recycling-How green is that?

Answer 1

if you care about the environment then visit my question

click on my avatar then click on my recent questions and click on  HELP THE ENVIRONMENT!!!!!

PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Nope, just let me get some stuff done and then I will

Answer 3

what's your objective?

you do have one.

in many places, with strict recycling laws, landfill has been reduced by more than 1/2.

paper mills are some of the most poluting industries around.  recycling helps.

since you're concerned, what facts have you found?

Answer 4

Recycling creates 1.1 million U.S. jobs, $236 billion in gross annual sales and $37 billion in annual payrolls.

It takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminum than it does to make it from raw materials. Making recycled steel saves 60%, recycled newspaper 40%, recycled plastics 70%, and recycled glass 40%. These savings far outweigh the energy created as by-products of incineration and landfilling.

Aluminum - Recycled aluminum is made into new aluminum cans, pie pans, house siding, small appliances, lawn furniture—in fact, almost everything aluminum can be made from recycled aluminum.

    * Recycling aluminum uses less than 5 percent of the energy used to make the original product.

    * Recycling one aluminum beverage can saves enough energy to run a 100 watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a TV for 2 hours

Plastic - Recycled plastics are made into motor oil bottles, detergent bottles, pipes, pails, carpets, rulers, benches, pallets, fiberfill, nonfood bottles or containers, and even clothing.

    * Producing new plastic from recycled material uses only two-thirds of the energy required to manufacture it from virgin raw materials.

    * Five 2-liter recycled PET bottles produce enough fiberfill to make a ski jacket; 36 recycled bottles can make 1 square yard of carpet.

Glass - Recycled glass is made into new glass jars and bottles and other glass products such as fiberglass insulation.

    * Producing glass from virgin materials requires 30 percent more energy than producing it from crushed, used glass.

    * Recycling 1 ton of glass saves the equivalent of 10 gallons of oil.

Steel - Recycled steel is made into steel cans, building materials, and tools—in fact, almost everything steel can be made from recycled steel.

    * Recycling steel cans uses between 60 and 74 percent less energy than producing them from raw materials.

    * Using recycled steel to make new steel saves energy. In fact, the steel industry saves enough energy in one year to electrically power 18 million homes for one year.

    * One ton of recycled steel saves the energy equivalent of 3.6 barrels of oil and 1.49 tons of iron ore.

Paper - Recycled paper is made into newspaper, tissue, paper towels, notebook paper, envelopes, copy paper and other paper products, as well as insulation, boxes, hydro-mulch, molded packaging, gypsum wallboard, compost, and even kitty litter.

    * Producing recycled paper requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.

    * Each of us uses approximately one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree in paper and wood products per year.

    * Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, and 4,100 kilowatt hours of electricity—enough energy to power the average American home for five months.