Quote:
Originally Posted by pink caddy
IMO that's not the question. The question I have is :What is the value? What are the results? What is the cost vis a vi for the "greening"?
Now, before you go off and load your pistols--do you know the answers?
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The value is astronomical. Recycling saves energy used to produce new materials, as well as saving the fossil fuels (in the case of plastic) and metals used in the actual product. Plastic alone can be used and recycled indefinitely. Can you imagine the impact that would have on our energy and oil savings??
According to the National Recycling Coalition, the lost energy resulting from the aluminum, plastic, glass, and cardboard that were not recycled was equivalent to:
The amount of electricity consumed by 10 million Americans in one year.
17% of annual nuclear electricity generation in the US.
4.6% of the annual electricity generated from fossil fuels in the US.
6% of the energy produced by coal fired power plants in the US.
The energy supplied from 2% of imported barrels of crude oil into the U.S.
The amount of gasoline used in 6.5 million passenger automobiles in a one year.
If recycling would increase by 50%, we could
save $4.8 billion a year in crude oil alone. Talk about being on the road to energy independence! It is BY FAR less expensive to recycle than it is to produce a new product.
As for the "greening", I'm not 100% sure what you mean by that, but clearly the action of recycling in itself is "green." Not only does it preserve and reuse materials, but it saves fossil fuels and virgin timber in addition to preventing carbon emissions from manufacture and landfill.
Do you want me to continue?
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