Have any of you checked into the pollution caused by recycling efforts vs. the benefits of recylcing ?

Question

I work for an architectural firm...everyone's telling us to go green in our design efforts. Great idea, but just curious about the process of recycling-How green is that?

Answer 1

Recycling creates 1.1 million U.S. jobs, $236 billion in gross annual sales and $37 billion in annual payrolls.

It takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminum than it does to make it from raw materials. Making recycled steel saves 60%, recycled newspaper 40%, recycled plastics 70%, and recycled glass 40%. These savings far outweigh the energy created as by-products of incineration and landfilling.

Aluminum - Recycled aluminum is made into new aluminum cans, pie pans, house siding, small appliances, lawn furniture—in fact, almost everything aluminum can be made from recycled aluminum.
* Recycling aluminum uses less than 5 percent of the energy used to make the original product.
* Recycling one aluminum beverage can saves enough energy to run a 100 watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a TV for 2 hours

Plastic - Recycled plastics are made into motor oil bottles, detergent bottles, pipes, pails, carpets, rulers, benches, pallets, fiberfill, nonfood bottles or containers, and even clothing.
* Producing new plastic from recycled material uses only two-thirds of the energy required to manufacture it from virgin raw materials.
* Five 2-liter recycled PET bottles produce enough fiberfill to make a ski jacket; 36 recycled bottles can make 1 square yard of carpet.

Glass - Recycled glass is made into new glass jars and bottles and other glass products such as fiberglass insulation.
* Producing glass from virgin materials requires 30 percent more energy than producing it from crushed, used glass.
* Recycling 1 ton of glass saves the equivalent of 10 gallons of oil.

Steel - Recycled steel is made into steel cans, building materials, and tools—in fact, almost everything steel can be made from recycled steel.
* Recycling steel cans uses between 60 and 74 percent less energy than producing them from raw materials.
* Using recycled steel to make new steel saves energy. In fact, the steel industry saves enough energy in one year to electrically power 18 million homes for one year.
* One ton of recycled steel saves the energy equivalent of 3.6 barrels of oil and 1.49 tons of iron ore.

Paper - Recycled paper is made into newspaper, tissue, paper towels, notebook paper, envelopes, copy paper and other paper products, as well as insulation, boxes, hydro-mulch, molded packaging, gypsum wallboard, compost, and even kitty litter.
* Producing recycled paper requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.
* Each of us uses approximately one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree in paper and wood products per year.
* Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, and 4,100 kilowatt hours of electricity—enough energy to power the average American home for five months.

Answer 2

Recycling is just the first stop on the environmental preservation highway. But like a highway you need speed limits (regulations if you will) and those limits need to be set so that industry does not create more harm than it is trying to fix. Emissions need to be controlled, Power usage needs to be from a renewable source where possible and the waste stream needs to be free of hazardous chemicals and other toxins that could, can and do harm people, plants, & animals (the whole earth.) Basicly it's no longer a matter of being "less bad" it is a matter of being all good. If you have doubts read the book "Cradle to Cradle" you'll understand.

Answer 3

Nope, just let me get some stuff done and then I will

Answer 4

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