Recycling Facts

Here are some interesting facts about recycling.

General Facts:

Materials like glass and aluminum have high recycling rates and can be recycled endlessly, but many types of plastics are labeled recyclable when they are not.

In many cases, plastic recycling is more costly and energy-intensive than creating plastic from raw materials, contributing to the low recycling rates. The recycling industry has a long way to go when it comes to plastic waste. However, paper, glass and aluminum recycling has proven that recycling programs can be successful.

Only 59% of US households have access to curbside recycling (2019). This means about 70 million homes in the US have easy access to recycling services.

Recycling in Georgia:

One-third of all plastic beverage containers recycled in North America end up in Georgia and are turned into carpet (mainly in northwest Georgia).

Georgia’s Paper Industry recycles almost 8 percent of all the paper consumed in the United States.

More than 120 Georgia businesses use recovered materials to manufacture a variety of new consumer products.

Glass:

Glass can be endlessly recycled without losing quality.

At our Appalachian Court facility, we have a glass-crusher on site to help us process it more efficiently. This eliminates transport so it can be immediately used for community projects!

Learn More About Glass Recycling

Plastic:

Every hour, 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away in the U.S.

At all both Pickens facilities, we have improved our plastic recycling so all loads are clean. This helps ensure the plastic will be recycled rather than disposed in landfills.

Learn More About Plastic Recycling

Paper:

Paper is one of the most-often recycled materials, accounting for half of the materials collected for recycling by weight.

More than 50 million tons of paper were recovered for recycling in 2021, achieving a 68% recycling rate.

In 2021, 91.4% of corrugated cardboard was recycled.

Almost half of the paper recycled in 2021 was used to make cardboard boxes.

Aluminum:

Due to high recycling rates, aluminum only accounts for 1% of the waste stream in the U.S. Aluminum, like glass, can be endlessly recycled with far less energy needed versus creating a product out of raw materials.

Consumption of aluminum in the U.S. was 4.3 million metric tons in 2021, up from 3.98 million metric tons in 2020.

Global demand for aluminum is expected to grow by more than 80% by 2050.

Food Waste:

Chronic food misallocation and inefficiency have caused food waste to be the largest category of waste.

Globally, 40% of the food produced is wasted. The food lost on farms alone could feed every undernourished person in the world four times over.

Food waste generates around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Each year, home composting could divert 330 pounds of food waste per household from landfills.

Some 3000 pounds of food per second goes to waste, which means that half of all food is thrown away in North America. It’s also the main material filling up the landfills.

3 billion tons of food is wasted globally every year, which roughly amounts to a third of all food grown for people to eat.

E-Waste:

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is the fastest-growing source of waste globally. Most e-waste does not get disposed of properly and releases harmful pollutants into the environment.

Globally, e-waste volumes grew to 53.6 million metric tons in 2019, an increase of 21% since 2014.

Only 17.4% of e-waste discarded in 2019 was recycled.

Sources:
World Economic Forum
University of Georgia Extension Office
Georgia Department of Economic Development
Recycle Coach

“I love using Pickens recycle. Everyone is very friendly and helpful”

Margaret CollinsPickens County Recycler