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• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours — or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.
• If everyone in the U.S. recycled just 1/10 of their newsprint, we would save the estimated equivalent of about
  25 million trees a year.
• One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.
• A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 1 pound of steel. In one year in the United States, the recycling of steel saves enough energy to heat and light 18,000,000 homes.
• To produce each week’s Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down.
• Recycling a single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees.
• If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year!
• If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25,000,000 trees a year.
• The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. This amounts to about 2,000,000,000 trees per year!
• The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years.
• Every ton of paper used for recycling saves 3000 – 4000 KWh electricity (enough for an average 3 bedroom house for one year)
• Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S.
• Americans use 85,000,000 tons of paper a year; about 680 pounds per person.
• Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution!
• The 17 trees saved (above) can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Burning that same ton of paper would create 1500 pounds of carbon dioxide.
• Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.
• Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year!

Plastic Recycling Resin ID Code Numbers
 

Fiber, tote bags, clothing, film and sheet, food and beverage containers, carpet, strapping, fleece wear, luggage and bottles.

Liquid laundry detergent, shampoo, conditioner and motor oil bottles; pipe, buckets, crates, flower pots, garden edging, film and sheet, recycling bins, benches, dog houses, plastic lumber, floor tiles, picnic tables, fencing.

Packaging, loose-leaf binders, decking, paneling, gutters, mud flaps, film and sheet, floor tiles and mats, resilient flooring, cassette trays, electrical boxes, cables, traffic cones, garden hose, mobile home skirting.

Shipping envelopes, garbage can liners, floor tile, paneling, furniture, film and sheet, compost bins, trash cans, landscape timber, and outdoor lumber.

Automobile battery cases, signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, ice scrapers, oil funnels, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, sheeting, trays.

Thermometers, light switch plates, thermal insulation, egg cartons, vents, desk trays, rulers, license plate frames, foam packing, foam plates, cups, utensils

Permaculture Links

• Plant grass or ground cover on exposed land to prevent the loss of topsoil from erosion.
• Create a compost pile for kitchen and garden waste to save energy by not having to haul yard debris to the dump.
• Plant evergreen trees to protect your home from the chilling winter winds.
• Plant deciduous shade trees to shade your house in the summer and allow the sun to warm your house in the winter.
• Plant natural grasses and shrubs that are native to your area and do not require a lot of extra water in the summer.
• Plant shade trees in the yard, by roadways and in vacant lots to combat the rising CO2 production.
• Plant native wildflowers in vacant lots, roadsides and other public areas so that the grass will not have to be mowed as often.
• Collect rain water in a rain barrel or cistern for watering plants, garden and landscaping.
• Reduce your landscape watering schedule. Experts say that most yards are over-watered.
• Water lawns early in the morning and long enough for a deep soak to encourage deep root growth.
• Plants and grasses grow slowly in the cooler weather.
• Keep an eye on the weather report and turn off your automatic irrigation system when rain is predicted.
• Check your sprinkler system and timer on a regular basis to be sure it is operating properly and giving you the right coverage.
• Install a rain sensor device or switch which will override the irrigation cycle of the sprinkler system when adequate rainfall has occurred.
• Use a "soaker" hose rather than a sprinkler, where possible. Less water is required because the water is concentrated on the soil nearer the roots and there is less evaporation.
• Water in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid evaporation.
• Avoid watering on windy days.
• Convert to a drip irrigation system that waters specific plants and avoids water waste.
• Use an electric instead of gas powered lawn and garden equipment.  Electric powered equipment create less pollution and are usually more energy efficient.
• Buy a new push mower for your lawn. They are quiet, non-polluting and you get exercise.
• Use "hand" pruners, clippers and other yard tools rather than gasoline or electric-powered ones.
• Lawn mowers will cut more efficiently and use less energy when the blades are sharpened regularly.
• If you reduce fertilizing the lawn, you’ll have to water less and cut the it less frequently.
• Raise the lawn mower blade to at least three inches. A lawn cut higher encourages grass roots to grow deeper, shades the root system and holds soil moisture better than a closely-clipped lawn.
• Leave lawn clippings after mowing to fertilize the grass, or collect the clippings and use them for mulch.
• Use a mulching lawn mower instead of bagging and carting off grass clippings. The mulched clippings fall back to the soil and add nutrients.
• Mulch your planting beds to retain moisture in the soil and to control weeds.
• Use a broom to clean the sidewalks and driveway instead of using a noisy, polluting, blower.
• Stop using a hose to clean these surfaces which wastes hundreds of gallons of water.
• Sweeping the sidewalks and driveway
• Regularly check all hoses, connectors and spigots for leaks. Install new hose washers when needed.
• Plant native plants that are adapted to your area. They require less water and maintenance, and look great.
• If possible, use the grey water from the laundry and shower for irrigation in the yard.
• Choose the small solar powered lights for your landscape lighting.