From DoSomething.org
- The average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year.[1]
- Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, enough to fill Busch Stadium from top to bottom twice a day. Next time you’re at a sporting event or tailgate, host a trash-free tailgate using only recyclable materials Sign up for Trash-Free Tailgate.[2]
- The EPA estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.[3]
- We generate 21.5 million tons of food waste each year. If we composted that food, it would reduce the same amount of greenhouse gas as taking 2 million cars off the road.[4]
- Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to listen to a full album on your iPod. Recycling 100 cans could light your bedroom for two whole weeks. Sign up for 5 Cans Challenge to save energy and show off your creative side.[5]
- The Container Recycling Institute (CRI) estimates that the 36 billion aluminum cans landfilled last year had a scrap value of more than $600 million.[6]
- Americans throw away about 28 billion bottles and jars every year.[7]
- Over 87% of Americans have access to curbside or drop-off paper recycling programs.[8]
- In 2009, Americans threw away almost 9 million tons of glass. That could fill enough tractor trailers to stretch from NYC to LA (and back!).[9]
- In 2010, paper recycling had increased over 89% since 1990.[10]
- A glass container can go from a recycling bin to a store shelf in as few as 30 days.[11]
Learn more here.
To learn where and how to recycle in Brevard, see this list.
For more information, visit https://www.brevardfl.gov/solidwaste/recyclinghome.