Facts & Figures

• There are 29 cans per pound of aluminum, up from 22 in 1972.
• 99% of all beer cans and 97% of all soft drink cans are made of aluminum.
• The average aluminum can in the U.S. contains 40% post-consumer recycled aluminum.
• It requires only 5% of the energy needed to make a can of recycled aluminum as compared to virgin ore.
• Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild the entire U.S. commercial air fleet every 3 months.
• In 1994, 3.1 million tons of aluminum waste was generated. 2.1 million tons came from soft drink and beer cans.
• Aluminum made up 1.5% of the total municipal solid waste stream generated in the U.S. in 1994.
• Approximately 65.5% of aluminum containers are recycled in the U.S.
• Most aluminum recovered from the waste stream is used to manufacture new cans.
• The lifespan of an aluminum can is about six weeks. That means it takes only six weeks for a beverage can to be manufactured, filled, sold, used, recycled and remanufactured.

• A one-gallon plastic milk jug that weighed 4.2 ounces in 1960 now weighs just 2.2 ounces.
• The average American car contains 300 pounds of plastic made from about 60 different resins.
• Every year, we make enough plastic film to shrink-wrap the state of Texas. 10% of the average grocery bill pays for product packaging (mostly paper and plastics). That's more than what goes to farmers.
• We're making progress! In 1993, plastics accounted for 11.5% of the U.S. municipal waste stream; in 1994, the number dropped to 9.5%.
• Products made from recovered plastic bottles include drainage pipes, toys, carpet, filler for pillows and sleeping bags and cassette casings.
• The U.S. plastics recycling industry employs more than 53,000 people.
• Of the 382 post-consumer plastic reclamation facilities, 265 facilities are vertically integrated into product manufacturing.
• Since 1990, the number of post-consumer plastic recycling facilities has grown by 81 percent.
• PET bottles (soda, water) and HDPE bottles (milk, laundry detergent) are by far the most commonly collected plastic materials in community recycling programs.
• 10% of all households have the ability to recycle all types of plastic bottles in their community.
• 63% of U.S. communities have access to a recycling program that collects plastic.