1. RECYCLING Allison M. Selk 10/13/04 CBE 562

2. Outline General recycling information Details regarding: – Aluminum – Plastics – Glass – Paper – Newspaper – Corrugated

3. General Recycling Info In 2001, US residents produced more than 229 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) – Approximately 4.4 pounds per person per day – Up from 2.7 pounds per person per day in 1960 – Canada produces 3.75 pounds per person per day – Germany and Sweden produce 2 pounds per person per day Recycling diverted 68 million tons from landfills and incinerators – Almost 30% of the waste produced

4. Waste Generation in US

5. Recycling Rates in US

6. Recycling Rates in US of Specific Materials 2001 Data

7. Recycling Rates in WI of Specific Materials

8. General Recycling Process Collection and Processing – Curbside, drop-off centers, buy-back centers, deposit/refund programs – Materials are then sorted and sold to manufacturing vendors Manufacturing – Materials are incorporated into new products, either reformed into their original use or used in new ways Purchasing recycled products – Businesses and consumers buy products made form recycled materials – “Closing the loop”

9. Key Benefits of Recycling Reduces need for landfilling and incineration Saves energy and prevents pollution caused by the extraction and processing of virgin materials and the manufacture of products from virgin materials – In 2000, recycling resulted in an annual energy savings of 660 trillion BTUs (equivalent to the energy used in 6 million homes annually)

10. Key Benefits of Recycling (cont.) Decreases emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) – In 1996, recycling in the US prevented the release of 33 million tons of carbon into the air Conserves natural resources while providing raw materials to industry Creates jobs

11. Aluminum 3.2 million tons of aluminum in MSW stream in 2001 40% was recovered for recycling Average aluminum can contains 40% post consumer recycled aluminum Market value in WI in 2004 ranged from $850 to $1,200 per ton (baled)

12. How Aluminum Is Made Mine deposits of bauxite ore and refine into alumina Alumina and electricity are combined with a molten electrolyte called cryolite DC electricity is passed from a carbon anode into the cryolite, splitting the aluminum oxide into molten aluminum and carbon dioxide Molten aluminum collects at the bottom of the reactor and is cast into ingots

13. How Recycling Aluminum Works Used beverage containers are collected and taken to a material recovery facility (MRF) where they are sorted from other food containers Need a high quality scrap free of steel, bottle caps, plastic, etc. Cans are baled and sold to a middle man Aluminum is refined and melted into ingots Ingots are melted into can sheet, lids are manufactured separately and the complete can is sold to the beverage industry

14. Benefits of Aluminum Recycling Al can recycling process saves 95% of the energy needed to produce Al from bauxite ore – Producing 20 cans from recycled materials uses the same amount of energy as making one can from raw materials – In 2002, 54 billion cans were recycled, saving the energy equivalent of 15 million barrels of crude oil Reduces Greenhouse Gas emissions – Recycling 1 kg of Al saves over 20 kg of Greenhouse gases Fast turnaround time – Takes 6 weeks to manufacture, fill, sell, recycle, and remanufacture a beverage can

15. Plastics 25.4 million tons of plastics in the MSW stream in 2001 (11% of total stream) – 11 million tons as containers and packaging – 6 million tons as nondurable goods (diapers, trash bags, cups, medical supplies, etc.) – 8 million tons as durable goods (appliances, furniture, etc.) Only about 5% of total plastic is recycled but specific areas are much higher

16. Two Main Recycled Plastics PET – Comes mainly from soft drink bottles – 36% was recycled in 2001 – Market value in WI in 2004 ranged from $180 to $360 per ton (baled) HDPE – Comes mainly from milk jugs and water bottles – 28% was recycled in 2001 – Market value in WI in 2004 ranged from $300 to $450 per ton (baled)

17. How Plastics Are Produced Petroleum is heated under controlled conditions and broken down to create monomers Monomers are linked together to form the plastic polymers Two main types – Thermosets – solidify irreversible, useful for durability and strength – Thermoplastics – weak bonds which allow for softening when heated, can be shaped/molded

18. Plastic Recycling Process Containers are collected and sorted by plastic type, baled, and sent to a reclaimer Reclaimer removes trash and grinds the plastic into small flakes Flotation tanks further separate contaminates based on density Flakes are dried, melted, filtered, and formed into pellets

19. Plastic Recycling Benefits and Markets Recycling 1 ton of plastics saves 84% of energy needed to produce 1 ton of plastic from raw materials Market demand for recovered plastic resin exceeds the amount of post-consumer plastic recovered from waste stream PET – fiber for carpet and textiles, fleece jackets HDPE – bottles, trash bags, plastic lumber

20. Glass 10.9 million tons of glass in MSW stream in 2001 22% was recovered for recycling 90% of recycled glass is used to make new containers – Also used in kitchen tiles, counter tops, and wall insulation

21. How Glass Is Made Sand, soda ash, limestone, and cullet (recycled crushed glass) are mixed and heated to 2600-2800 °F Impurities (Fe, other) added for colors Molded into the desired shape

22. Glass Recycling Process At MRF, workers remove large contaminants by hand and sort glass by color Glass in crushed and is conveyed through a series of refinements Magnets pull out metal and air currents remove lightweight material such as paper Lasers or photodetectors can also be used to sort colors of crushed glass

23. Benefits Of Using Cullet Costs less than raw materials Prolongs furnace life because it melts at a lower temperature Uses less energy – Glass from recycled material saves 74% of the energy required to manufacture glass from raw materials

24. Markets For Recycled Glass High quality cullet – Single colored – Free of contaminants – Used for making new containers Lower quality cullet – Mixed color glass – Used for fiberglass insulation, roadbed aggregate, driving safety reflective beads

25. Paper 82 million tons on MSW stream in 2001 (36% of total stream, largest segment) More than 40% of US landfill space is paper products – Paper doesn’t easily biodegrade – Newspapers from 1960s can be intact and readable 45% of total paper waste was recovered for recycling in 2001

26. Paper Recycling Rates By Segment

27. Paper Recycling Process Mills mix shredded paper with water Mixture is cooked and cleaned to create pulp A certain percentage of this pulp is mixed with pulp created from virgin wood

28. Three Challenges For Recycling Paper Contamination – inks, adhesives, food, broken glass, etc. Sorting – Newsprint, office paper, etc. Fiber degradation – Size and strength of paper fibers decrease during manufacturing process – Degrade further with each round of recycling – Paper can usually be recycled up to 8 times

29. Uses of Recycled Paper In 1999, 37% of raw materials used in US paper mills was recovered paper Mixed paper collected goes into making paper towels, napkins, and bathroom tissue

30. Newspaper Market value in WI in 2004 ranged from $70 to $100 per ton (baled) Recycled newsprint is used in new newspapers and in cellulose insulation

31. Market Value of Newspaper

32. Corrugated Market value in WI in 2004 ranged from $50 to $100 per ton (baled) Used to make new corrugated containers and cereal boxes

33. References 1. http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non- hw/muncpl/index.htm http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non- hw/muncpl/index.htm 2. http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/wm/markets/recmarpric es/index.html http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/wm/markets/recmarpric es/index.html 3. http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/309753.html http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/309753.html 4. http://www.environmentaldefense.org/document s/611_ACF17F.htm http://www.environmentaldefense.org/document s/611_ACF17F.htm 5. http://www.wastewise.wa.gov.au/pages/recyclin g.asp http://www.wastewise.wa.gov.au/pages/recyclin g.asp 6. http://www.earth911.org http://www.earth911.org