Recycling takes our used products and makes them into raw materials for new products. More and more products on the shelves today are being made partially or entirely out of recycled materials. Recycling:
- Reduces the amount of trash in the landfill.
- Uses less energy than it does to make a new product from scratch.
- Conserves natural resources.
- Creates jobs. For every 10,000 tons of recycled items, 32.6 jobs are supported compared to only 6.46 jobs supported when the same amount of waste is landfilled.
Common household items made from recycled materials include newspapers, paper towels, aluminum and steel cans, plastic and glass food and beverage containers, and plastic laundry detergent bottles. Recycled materials can also be found in items such as roadway asphalt (recycled glass; shingles; concrete debris) or in carpeting, park benches, and pedestrian bridges (recycled plastic).