Conservation

Reused a CD

To make a plate

Reused a tire

To make a chair

Reused a ladder

To make a bookshelf

To make a bookshelf

Reduce by using less

Reduce by using less

Reduce by using less

Reduce by using less

Reduce by using less

Reduce by using less

Recycle Aluminum Cans Aluminum cans are very easy to recycle. Aluminum can be melted down and made into new products over and over again because it never breaks down or loses quality. In fact, 75 per cent of all the aluminum produced since 1888 is still in use today. What are recycled cans turned into? Most recycled aluminum is used to make new cans. From the time a can arrives in a recycling facility, it takes just 60 days to melt it down, turn it into a new can, fill it with a new beverage and place it back on store shelves. Recycled cans are also used to make airplane parts, building facades and bicycles. How do recycled cans save energy? Nearly 35 per cent of the world’s demand for aluminum is met with recycled material. It adds up to significant energy savings. For example, recycling one can saves 95 per cent of the energy used to make a new one from the original.

Recycle Plastic Bottles There are two types of plastic beverage containers – thinner PET bottles often used for soda and water, and thicker HDPE bottles often used for juice. Both types are extremely valuable to recyclers because they can be turned into all kinds of new plastic products. What are recycled plastic bottles turned into? Recycled PET bottles can be turned into new containers for beverages, salad dressing and household cleaning products. Many of the large beverage producers are now producing PET bottles with increasing amounts of recycled PET – even up to 100 per cent recycled content! It can also become the fabric in your clothes, the fiberfill in your coat, and the upholstery and carpeting around your house. In fact, recycling just five two-litre bottles can produce enough polyester for a square yard of carpet. Recycled HDPE is turned into sturdier products like plastic lumber, patio furniture, roadside curbs, benches and truck cargo liners. It’s also used to make recycling bins – talk about full circle! How do recycled plastic bottles save energy? Plastic bottles are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Recycling one ton of plastic bottles saves 3.8 barrels of oil. It also saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. Each year, the economic and environmental costs of running a landfill increase. Every kilogram of material we keep out of the trash helps extend the life of our landfills and create more sustainable communities. Bottles simply don’t belong in landfills.

Recycle Glass Bottles It takes a lot of minerals, energy and water to make glass from raw materials. Fortunately, glass can be recycled endlessly without any loss in purity or quality. We can save one ton of natural resources by recycling one ton of glass. (Source: Recycle Alberta) What are recycled glass bottles turned into? Recycled glass is primarily used to make new containers, highway marking beads and the glass sand used to purify water. In Manitoba most glass bottles are crushed and used as aggregate for road base or water and sewer installations. Recycled glass bottles can also be turned into countertops, flooring, tile, landscaping stones and bricks.