Recycling Statistics

Aluminum Cans

Over 50% of the aluminum cans produced are recycled.
A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can, in as little as 60 days.
Every minute of everyday, an average of 113,204 aluminum cans are recycled.
Making new aluminum cans from used cans takes 95 percent less energy and 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce one can using virgin ore.
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or run your television for three hours.
Tossing away an aluminum can wastes as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline.

Corrugated Fiberboard

Corrugated fiberboard is more likely to be recycled than any other product, surpassing glass, aluminum and plastic. Today, 76.6 percent of all corrugated is recovered for recycling - up from 54 percent in 1990. In 2005, over 24.7 million tons of corrugated were recovered for recycling in the United States. In fact, a single fiber from a corrugated box can be recycled many times before it is too short for continued use.

Old corrugated containers (OCC) are turned into:

Containerboard (63 percent)
Recycled paperboard (17 percent)
Tissue (less than 1 percent)
Packaging and industrial converting (1 percent)
Exports to other countries (17 percent)
Other (1 percent)

* Source: American Forest & Paper Association