Top 10 Reasons to Recycle

10. One ton of paper made completely from recycled scrap saves 7000 gallons of water, 4100 kilowatt-hours of energy, three cubic yards of landfill space, and 17 trees.

9. 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.

8. Lane recycled 85 tons of paper in 2000/2001, but threw away another estimated 56 tons of paper. We saved 1445 trees, but could have saved 2397.

7. Recycling 1 ton of glass saves the equivalent in energy of 10 gallons of oil.

6. 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.

5. Americans represent only 5% of the worldís population, but generate 30% of the worldís garbage.

4. The only landfill in Lane County is expected to be full in 50 years. Once it is closed, we will have to look at other disposal options including landfilling outside the county. This will increase garbage costs substantially.

3. Nothing is ìbiodegradableî in a landfill. Landfills are large plastic tubs that are capped with plastic or concrete when full. With present technology, capped landfills will require maintenance forever to prevent leaks.

2. We can really accomplish a lot when we all pull together and recycle! During WWII, salvaging metal straps from corsets saved enough metal to build 2 warships.

1. Recycling is cost effective for Lane. We pay about $80 per ton to dispose of garbage and we receive up to $115 for our recycled paper.