As we are Approaching Earth Day, we thought we would compile a few facts about the trash we generate every day.

1. 36 billion aluminum cans are landfilled every year. That’s a $600 million value.
2. Recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to power a TV for three hours.
3. It takes 80-100 years for an aluminum can to decompose in a landfill.
4. Americans throw away 28 billion bottles and jars every year.
5. Glass takes over 1,000,000 years to decompose in a landfill.
6. Americans throw away 28 billion pounds of food each year. That’s 25 percent of the US Food Supply.
7. 25,000,000 trees could be saved every year if every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers.
8. Each year, more than 100 billion plastic bags are used by Americans.
9. 36% of what is thrown away each year in the US is paper or cardboard, much of which is recyclable.
10. The average American throws away 7 pounds of garbage every day, that’s 102 tons in a lifetime.
11. Americans throw away enough garbage to fill 63,000 garbage trucks every day.
12. Americans waste 4.5 million tons of office paper a year.
13. The average office worker uses 500 paper cups per year.
14. The energy used to create and distribute junk mail in the US for one day could heat 250,000 homes.
15. Over 2.5 million tons of electronics, such as computers, mobile devices and televisions are landfilled every year, polluting soil and groundwater.

The Earth is our future, let’s save it!

Contact Waste Metrics to see how you can improve your current recycling program, and divert as much waste from the landfill.

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