Benefits of Recycling

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Benefits of Recycling
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Co-Benefits of Recycling

• Reduces consumption of non-renewable sources of
  energy and raw materials
• We need to slow the consumption worlds
  non-renewable resources
• Reduces environmental damage from industrial and
  commercial waste
• Residential and commercial waste causes
  environmental damage
• Extends life of municipal landfills
• Postpones the need to fund purchase and
  development of new landfill sites
• Provides jobs
• many established jobs and small businesses
  supported 100 by the recycling business
• Teaches environmental values to individuals
• Wasteful use of non-renewable resources, coupled
  with indiscriminate disposal of products made
  from those resources, teaches the wrong message

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Co-Benefits Cont..

• Saves Energy
• It takes 20 times the energy to make virgin
  aluminum, 8 times the energy to make virgin
  plastic, and twice the energy to make virgin
  paper
• Reduces emission of greenhouse Gasses
• By reducing the amount of energy used by
  industry, recycling also reduces greenhouse gas
  emissions and helps stem the dangers of global
  climate change

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U.S. Recycling Facts

• The national average is 3.5 lbs of waste a day
  per person
• In 2001, the U.S. recycling rate of 30 resulted
  in an energy savings of 661 trillion BTUs, enough
  to meet the annual energy requirements of roughly
  6.5 million homes
• In 2001 recycling in the U.S. prevented the
  release of 32.9 million metric tons of carbon
  equivalent into the air
• This is equivalent to the amount emitted annually
  by 25 million cars
• The Environmental Protection Agency estimates
  that by increasing our national recycling rate up
  to 35, from present 25 rate, we could reduce
  annual greenhouse gas emissions by an additional
  24.5 million metric tons of carbon.
• In 2005, recycling is conservatively projected to
  save 605 trillion Btus, equal to the energy used
  in 6 million households

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More Facts

• In 2005, recycling is conservatively projected to
  save 605 trillion Btus, equal to the energy used
  in 6 million households
• Americans throw away enough aluminum every month
  to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.
• Recycling steel and tin cans saves 74 of the
  energy used to produce them.
• Americans use 100 million tin and steel cans
  every day.
• 1999 Number of US landfills 2,216 Percent of
  waste recycled 28.1.

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Some Aluminum Facts

• Recycling aluminum uses 95 less energy than
  producing aluminum from raw material
• Aluminum cans are unique in that in 60 days a can
  is recycled, turned into a new can back on
  store shelves.
• Aluminum is a sustainable metal and can be
  recycled over and over again.
• In 2003, 54 billion cans were recycled, saving
  the energy equivalent of 15 million barrels of
  crude oil - America's entire gas consumption for
  one day.

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Packaging

• Significant energy and natural resources are used
  to make products and packaging. By recycling
  these materials, we keep the energy and resources
  embodied in those products working for us. While
  the savings vary from material to material,
  nearly all recycling processes produce
  significant energy savings over manufacturing
  with virgin materials.

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Some Paper Facts

• Recycling old paper instead of using new timber
  to produce paper uses 60 less energy
• Americans use 50 million tons of paper
  annually--which means we consume more than 850
  million trees
• By recycling one ton (2,000 lbs.) of paper, we
  save
• 17 trees
• 6,953 gallons of water
• 463 gallons of oil
• 587 pounds of air pollution
• 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space
• 4,077 Kilowatt hours of energy

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Executive Order 13101

• By requiring the Fed. Gov. to purchase 30
  recycled copier paper, these benefits can be
  seen
• 500,000 less trees cut down annually
• Approx 16,000tons of carbon absorbed by these
  trees
• 12 overall energy use reduction in copier paper
  production
• 14 average reduction in Air Pollution and GHGs
  released
• 13 reduction in production of solid waste
• 13 reduction in water pollutants produced

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Executive Order 13101, on a larger scale..

• The Federal government only buys 2 percent of all
  the copier paper sold in the United States. Think
  of the positive impact on the environment if the
  remaining 98 percent of the copier paper sold
  contained recycled content.
• Programs such as these are a good start, but must
  be implemented on a large scale, even world wide

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Some Costs of Recycling

• Contamination of paper with garbage or dissimilar
  materials, and weather impacts increase handling
  costs.
• For some uses, recycled paper is of lower quality
  than virgin paper.
• De-inking plants are costly to build.
• Market value fluctuations make forecasting
  economic viability difficult.
• Plastic from 'non-packaging' sources is rarely
  recycled.
• Plastic can not be recycled indefinitely and is
  generally not recycled into food containers.
• Because plastics are lightweight, they are
  expensive to collect and sort.
• Automatic sorting equipment can be expensive.
• Virgin resins can be cheaper to buy.
• Some resins are difficult to clean.
• Collection and sorting is labor intensive.

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Co-benefits of Energy Efficiency
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The U.S. Energy Star program

• ENERGY STAR is a U.S. Government program designed
  to remove market barriers to the purchase of
  energy efficient products and services in
  residential, commercial, and industrial markets.
• A 10 percent savings in energy would save almost
  20 billion a year, increase the affordability
  and comfort of homes, reduce demand for natural
  gas by more than 1 quad, avoid the need for 40
  power plants and avoid the greenhouse gas
  emissions equivalent to those from more than 25
  million vehicles.

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• Improving technology of household items can lead
  to dramatic energy savings. The success in
  refrigerator efficiency improvements has dropped
  residential refrigerators to 10th place in the
  list of peak energy uses in California
• Commercial, office and school buildings use about
  80 billion worth of electricity and natural gas
  each year. These buildings use much of their
  energy at peak times and contribute about 20 of
  our national emissions of greenhouse gases.
• EPA estimates that if each building owner
  increased efficiency 10, by 2015 Americans would
  reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20
  MMTCE, equivalent to the emissions from 15
  million vehicles, while saving about 10 billion.
  Leaders across the country already are showing
  10, 20, 30 energy use reductions with proven
  practices and technologies that pay off
  financially and for our environment.

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Applications in other countries

• Governments can encourage citizens to use
  energy-efficient practices.
• Japans "One Percent Energy Saving Plus One
  Movement
• reduction in energy use by local governments
• the promotion of environmental study, information
  dissemination and education
• financial assistance for the installation of
  residential photovoltaic power generation systems
• support for the installation of photovoltaic
  power generation systems and other renewable
  energy systems for public facilities
• subsidies for planting hedges around houses.
• After implementation in 1996, it has contributed
  to the reduction of 975 tC of CO2 emissions over
  three years in Kawagoe City.

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Developing Countries

• Programs like those in the U.S. and Japan could
  create significant emissions reductions in
  developing countries, where the primary energy
  intensity is much higher than Europe and the U.S.

• Citizens of developing countries could be
  better educated about methods of energy
  conservation and the result financial benefits.
• Private companies that have developed
  energy-efficient products could profit from
  spearheading education programs of this nature.

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Long-term savings outweigh initial costs

• Nations reluctant to shoulder initial costs of
  energy-saving technology should be reminded that
  expenses for its businesses and citizens will be
  counteracted by long term savings.
• Example BJs Wholesale Club spent 7.5 million
  on energy-efficiency technologies.
• These efficiency measures save an estimated 4.8
  million annually on energy costs.
• Estimates by the U.S. Environmental Protection
  Agencys Energy Star Program show that every 1
  a grocer saves has the same effect on profits as
  selling 80 worth of merchandise.
• Energy-saving investments can lead to profit
  within 2 years.

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Sources

• Detailed Description of Best Practices Japan
  No. 11. G8 Environmental Futures Forum 2000,
  Global Environment Department of Japan, available
  online http//www.env.go.jp/earth/g8_2000/forum/
  g8bp/detail/japan/japan11.html
• Stores Slash Energy Costs. Building Operating
  Management July 2003 Issue
• The ENERGY STAR Challenge Build a Better World
  10 at a Time. Energy Star website.
  http//www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?cleaders.bus_
  challenge
• http//www.epa.gov/
• http//www.envocare.co.uk/
• http//www.giss.nasa.gov/meetings/pollution02/summ
  aryd.html