The top half
shows recycling
of a specific part
of the U.S. solid
waste stream.
Each set of bars shows the recycling in
millions of tons for 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990,
2000, and 2010.
The bottom half
shows the amount
that is incinerated
or disposed of in
a landfill.
Paper and
paperboard
Yard
trimmings
Food
scraps Plastics
Glass
Iron, steel
and nickel
AluminumOther
Metals
Wood Textiles
Rubber
and
leather Other
40
20
60
20
40
Recycled
(millions of tons)
Incinerated or landfill
(millions of tons)
GlassGlass
bottles
AluminumAluminum
cans
EneEneEneEnE
rgyrgyrgygyrgg
coco cococo
nsusunsunsunsu
mptmptmptmptmp
ionionionionnion
(th(th
ousous
andand
ki kilocloc
aloalo
rierie
ss))
55
100
155
200
255
300
Used once
Recycled
Adapted from T. Zeller, Jr., “Recycling: The Big Picture,”National Geographic (January 2008); EPA Solid WasteFacts, 2010.
Based on data from Argonne National Laboratory.
Frances Roberts/Alamy Shari Lewis/©AP/Wide World Photos
a. Recycling of Solid Waste. By far more paper is
recycled than any other part of the solid waste stream.
Note that recycling of paper has increased dramatically;
most of this paper is exported to other countries.
b. Recycling Glass.
A bin of green glass
has been sorted and
crushed at a recycling
plant. Separating the
different colors of
glass in a cost-effective
manner is challenging.
Note in part a that
the amount of glass
recycling has not
increased significantly
since 1990. c. Recycling Aluminum. Bales of crushed aluminum
beverage cans are ready for processing. A typical
aluminum can contains about 40 percent recycled
aluminum. The amount of aluminum recycling is
declining because of the increased use of plastic
beverage containers.
d. Energy and Recycling. Comparison
of energy required to manufacture glass
bottles and aluminum cans that are
either used once or recycled.
Environmental InSight ✓✓THE PLANNER
Recycling in the United States
UÊ Figure 16.9
Interpreting Data
Which material do you
think has the greatest
potential for recycling?
Why? How many tons of
it were recycled in 2010?
407