Only One-Third of 200 Billion U.S. Beverage Containers Recycled
Published: 22 December 2008
Category: Packaging CONCERNS, Recycling, Sustainability
According to “Solid Waste Magazine,” only one-third of the 200 billion beverage containers sold in the U.S. each year are recycled, according to the U.S. Beverage Container Recycling Scorecard and Report. According to the author of this report, if all of the beverage containers that were wasted last year had been recycled, 15.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gases would have been avoided -– the equivalent to emissions from 36.2 million barrels of oil. Making containers from recycled content significantly lessens energy and fossil fuel emissions; recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy, plastic 30% less energy, and glass 35% less energy.