Recycling Trivia

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Recycling Trivia, Or, "Did You Know That ...." -- the average person in the United States produces about 6.5 pounds of trash every day? -- at the rate Americans are generating garbage, 500 new landfills will be needed every year? -- in 1991, the Great Wall of China became the second largest man-made structure in the world? The largest is the Fresh Kills Landfill serving New York City. It is now the highest point on the east coast. -- one third of the paper mills in the United States use recycled waste paper exclusively? -- every three months, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild the nation's commercial air fleet? -- if you throw away two aluminum cans, you waste more energy than is used daily by each of a billion citizens in poorer countries? -- the energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a television for three hours? -- it takes 95% less energy to make aluminum from recycled scrap than from virgin materials? -- making new paper from recycled paper requires 30-50% less energy than making paper from trees and it reduces contributions to air pollution by 95%? -- every ton of recycled office paper saves approximately 380 gallons of oil? -- if Americans recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers we would save 25 million trees a year? -- the energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours? How long it takes the following to degrade? A banana peel? 3-4 weeks A paper bag? 1 month A cotton rag? 5 months A piece of wood? 10-15 years A leather shoe? 40-50 years A tin can? 80-100 years An aluminum can? 200-500 years Disposable diapers? 500-600 years A plastic jug? 1 million years P.S. Did you know that Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour?! Glass bottle? unknown Styrofoam, like a "clam shell" sandwich container? It will last forever!