Fantastic is not a word we simply bandy about. We don’t mean fantastic in the casual sense, we mean fantastic in the classic sense. Like the spectacle of an newly unveiled work of art, or a comet streaking across the night sky. We mean scope and power, we mean fantastic. When people recycle, it’s so easy to lose sight of the good they are doing. The task becomes a chore and can be easy to overlook. Well, we’re here to set the record straight with only the 10 most fantastic recycling facts.
Fact #1: If every aluminum can in the United Kingdom was recycled, we would need 14 million fewer dustbins.
Fact #2: 275,000 tonnes of plastic are used in the UK every year, roughly 15 million bottles per day.
Fact #3: Glass takes 4000 years to decompose, but is 100% recyclable and can be reused again and again.
Fact #4: One recycled tin can saves the energy it would take to power a television for three hours.
Fact #5: One recycled glass bottle saves the energy it would take to power a computer for half an hour.
Fact #6: One recycled plastic bottle saves the energy it would take to power a 60 watt lightbulb for three hours.
Fact #7: 10000 tonnes of waste can create one job if you burn it, 6 jobs at a landfill, but 36 jobs at a recycling plant.
Fact #8: In the UK, the average person generates their body weight in rubbish every seven weeks. That’s seven times a person’s body weight per year.
Fact #9: Each tonne of paper recycled can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 KW of energy, and 7000 gallons of water.
Fact #10: And with all of this in mind, up to 50% of the contents in the average dustbin can be recycled.
It’s so easy to lose sight of the good we can do with the smallest task, but hopefully this lends some perspective. We at Rubbish Please take great lengths to recycle and reuse all the rubbish we remove no matter the size of the haul. If we can help someone else do they same with the rubbish they need to be rid of, that’s a job at Rubbish Please well done. We aren’t trying to save the world all at once, but we’re trying to make the difference any way we can. Will you join us?
