201 E 6th St
PO Box 426
Newton, KS
67114-2215;

Phone: 316.284.6000
Fax: 316.284.6090

More Recycling Facts

ALUMINUM

It's almost impossible to hear the word aluminum and not think about beverage cans. In fact, currently 100% of all beverage cans are made from aluminum. Aluminum cans made their first appearance in America in 1953 and by the late 1960's were being recycled in earnest. However, the greatest use of Aluminum is in the auto industry where almost 6 billion pounds are currently used.

Aluminum Recycling in the U.S.:

• Total U.S. supply is 20.8 billion pounds.
• We use about 392 cans per person.
• Aluminum cans typically have a recycled aluminum content of about 55%.
• 62.8 billion or 63.5 % of aluminum cans are recycled annually.
• Recycling aluminum saves about 95% of the energy it would take to produce aluminum from its original source, bauxite.
• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough electricity to run a TV for three hours.
• Aluminum recycling is so efficient that it can take as few as 60 days for a can to be collected, melted down and made into a new can sitting on a grocery store shelf.

Recycled Aluminum is Made Into:

• Aluminum cans
• Pie Pans
• House siding
• Small Appliances
• Lawn Furniture
• Almost everything aluminum

For general information on aluminum recycling, contact:
The Aluminum Association, Inc.
900 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
202-862-5100
fax 202-862-5164
Internet address: http://www.aluminum.org

National Soft Drink Association
1101-16th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-463-6732

NEWSPAPER
Did you know that paper was invented in China around 105 A.D. by T'sai Lung, a scribe in the emperor's court? Since then, the world has made great use of this material especially for newspaper.

• It takes 17 trees to produce one ton of paper.
• Americans buy about 65 million newspapers every day.
• Typically, newspaper can be recycled 5-7 times.
• Each time it is recycled, its fibers become shortened.
• Eventually, they become too short to make good paper.
• When newspaper enters the recycling process at a de-inking mill, it is washed in a solution of warm water and chemicals that turns it into a kind of mush. Through a combination of spinning and screening the mush, most ink and other unwanted particles are removed. It is then air treated in a flotation cell causing any remaining particles to float to the surface. After one last washing and screening, the mush is bleached and, if necessary, mixed with pulp from trees. This mixture is then squeezed to remove the water after which it is dried and pressed and is readied for shipment.
• Nearly 4.5 of every ten U.S. newspapers are being recycled.
• Producing paper from recycled paper reduces air and water pollution by 50%.
• Recycling one ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water and 4,100 kwh of electricity.

Recycled Paper is Made Into:

• Writing tablets
• Photocopy paper
• Letterhead paper
• Newspaper
• Bags
• Gift wrap
• Paper towels and toilet paper

STEEL

The steel can was invented in England in the early 1800's.It often called a tin can because of the thin layer of tin applied to the can's inner and outer surfaces. Tin is used to protect food and beverage flavors and to prevent rusting.Due to changes in steel-making, an increasing amount of steel cans are tin free. These cans use a chromium ash to achieve the same results as tin. The term "bimetal can" refers not to tin in the steel but to the aluminum top on steel beverage cans.

• Steel cans account for more than 90% of all food cans.
• The average American uses 142 steel cans (22.75 pounds) annually.
• Steel cans constitute 1.3% of discarded Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) by weight.
• By volume, steel cans made up 1.8% of landfilled MSW.
• In 1997, more than 70 million tons of steel scrap was recycled for a 65.2% recycling rate.
• More than 37 billion steel cans, weighing 2.9 million tons, are annually used in the U.S., 55.9% are recycled.
• Through recycling each year, the steel industry saves enough energy to power 18 million homes.
• Recycling one ton of steel saves 2,500 lbs. of iron ore,1,400 lbs. of coal, and 120 lbs. of limestone.
• Flatrolled steel for tinplate is produced in basic oxygen furnaces from raw material that is normally 20-30% scrap (including most, but not all grades of scrap).
• Steel can sheet manufacturers currently use more pre-consumer than post-consumer scrap.
• Two million tons of steel cans are landfilled annually.
• Steel cans are easy to recycle due to their magnetic properties and the limited number of potential contaminants in the remanufacturing process.
• Detinners specialize in removing the tin from steel cans for resale in tin using industries.
• Steel scrap from detinning is either sold to the steel industry or to the copper precipitation industry. Eight detinning plants are currently operating in the U.S.
• Iron and steel foundries are an emerging market for steel cans. Foundries use scrap as a raw material in making castings and molds for industrial users.

Recycled Steel is Made Into:

• Steel cans
• Building materials
• Tools
• Almost everything steel

For Internet information on steel from the Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov. This is the front door to the EPA's extensive Internet listings.

To Contact the Sanitation Division Call 284-6070