April 22nd is Earth Day!

Did you know that the average person in Wisconsin generates 4.7 pounds of trash each day and recycles 1.9 pounds of  that trash?  It turns out that 84% of a typical households waste – including food scrapes, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans and bottles – can be recycled.  That means that of the 4.7 pounds of trash we generate each day we can recycle 3.9 pounds of it!

Test your knowledge with these Recycling Facts and Figures. 
Answers are at the bottom of this page.

1. How much energy can be saved by recycling one wine bottle?
2. Does average Wisconsinite recycle more or less than the average person living in the United States?
3. How many plastic (PET) bottles need to be recycled in order to provide a enough fiber to create one square foot of carpet or enough fiber fill for one ski jacket?
4. If one ton of cardboard gets recycled how many gallons of oil is saved?
5. How many tons of material are kept out of Wisconsin landfills each year by recycling?
6. In 2009, recycling efforts by Wisconsin households reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of removing how many passenger vehicles from the road?
7. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to watch how many hours of your favorite show?
8.  How many people does the United States plastics recycling industry employ each year?


– Answers –
1. The energy saved by recycling one wine bottle will operate 100 watt light bulb for three hours
2. Wisconsinite’s recycles .5 pounds more than the average United States citizen.
3. It takes 5 plastic bottles.
4. One ton of cardboard will save 46 gallons of oil.
5. 1.7 million tons of materials are saved from the landfill each year by recycling.
6. Wisconsinites reduced enough carbon dioxide to remove 475,000 passenger vehicles from the road.  Businesses and institutions recycled even more!
7. 3 hours
8. More than 53,000 people are employed!

*Facts and figures came from the WI DNR and the Brown County Port and Solid Waste Department.

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