How Does Recycling Save Energy?

Recycling saves energy primarily because it reduces the need to extract and refine natural resources. For many materials, the energy to recycle is less than the energy needed to make it from scratch, even after factoring the energy involved in collecting and sorting recyclables.

Aluminum

Recycling an aluminum can uses only five percent percent of the energy needed to make a can from bauxite ore, the natural source of aluminum.

Paper

Newsprint, the paper used in newspapers, can be recycled into new newsprint using only 55 percent of the energy needed to make it from wood and other raw materials.

Plastic Bottles

Many plastic water and drink bottles are made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic. While it can be difficult to recycle these into new bottles, PET can be recycled into other plastic products using roughly 33 percent of the energy needed to make plastic from scratch.

Glass

Recycling glass into new products uses 80 percent of the energy required to make new glass. While this is a smaller energy savings than some other materials, it still adds up when the huge amount of glass used worldwide is considered.

Composting

Composting is a method of recycling organic materials like kitchen scraps and yard waste by turning it into fertilizer. Backyard composting saves energy by reducing the amount of garbage that needs to be hauled to landfills.

References

• Is Recycling Worth It? PM Investigates its Economic and Environmental Impact
• Earth911.com
• Comparative LCAs for Curbside Recycling Versus Either Landfilling or Incineration with Energy Recovery