Recycling Basics | US EPA

Visit How do I recycle. ... Recyclable product - Products that can be collected, processed and manufactured into new products after they ... Skiptomaincontent Officialwebsitesuse.gov A.govwebsitebelongstoanofficialgovernmentorganizationintheUnitedStates. Secure.govwebsitesuseHTTPS Alock(LockAlockedpadlock)orhttps://meansyou’vesafelyconnectedtothe.govwebsite.Sharesensitiveinformationonlyonofficial,securewebsites. RelatedTopics: Reduce,Reuse,Recycle ContactUs RecyclingBasics Recyclingistheprocessofcollectingandprocessingmaterialsthatwouldotherwisebethrownawayastrashandturningthemintonewproducts.Recyclingcanbenefityourcommunityandtheenvironment.Onthispage: BenefitsofRecycling StepstoRecyclingMaterials RecyclingCreatesJobs BenefitsofRecycling Reducestheamountofwastesenttolandfillsandincinerators Conservesnaturalresourcessuchastimber,waterandminerals Increaseseconomicsecuritybytappingadomesticsourceofmaterials Preventspollutionbyreducingtheneedtocollectnewrawmaterials Savesenergy SupportsAmericanmanufacturingandconservesvaluableresources HelpscreatejobsintherecyclingandmanufacturingindustriesintheUnitedStates StepstoRecyclingMaterialsRecyclingincludesthethreestepsbelow,whichcreateacontinuousloop,representedbythefamiliarrecyclingsymbol.Step1:CollectionandProcessingThereareseveralmethodsforcollectingrecyclables,includingcurbsidecollection,drop-offcenters,anddepositorrefundprograms.VisitHowdoIrecycle...CommonRecyclablesAftercollection,recyclablesaresenttoarecoveryfacilitytobesorted,cleanedandprocessedintomaterialsthatcanbeusedinmanufacturing.Recyclablesareboughtandsoldjustlikerawmaterialswouldbe,andpricesgoupanddowndependingonsupplyanddemandintheUnitedStatesandtheworld.Step2:ManufacturingMoreandmoreoftoday'sproductsarebeingmanufacturedwithrecycledcontent.Commonhouseholditemsthatcontainrecycledmaterialsincludethefollowing: Newspapersandpapertowels Aluminum,plastic,andglasssoftdrinkcontainers Steelcans Plasticlaundrydetergentbottles Recycledmaterialsarealsousedinnewwayssuchasrecoveredglassinasphalttopaveroadsorrecoveredplasticincarpetingandparkbenches.Step3:PurchasingNewProductsMadefromRecycledMaterialsYouhelpclosetherecyclingloopbybuyingnewproductsmadefromrecycledmaterials.Therearethousandsofproductsthatcontainrecycledcontent.Whenyougoshopping,lookforthefollowing: Productsthatcanbeeasilyrecycled Productsthatcontainrecycledcontent Belowaresomeofthetermsused: Recycled-contentproduct-Theproductwasmanufacturedwithrecycledmaterialseithercollectedfromarecyclingprogramorfromwasterecoveredduringthenormalmanufacturingprocess.Thelabelwillsometimesincludehowmuchofthecontentwasfromrecycledmaterials. Post-consumercontent-Verysimilartorecycledcontent,butthematerialcomesonlyfromrecyclablescollectedfromconsumersorbusinessesthrougharecyclingprogram. Recyclableproduct-Productsthatcanbecollected,processedandmanufacturedintonewproductsaftertheyhavebeenused.Theseproductsdonotnecessarilycontainrecycledmaterials.Remembernotallkindsofrecyclablesmaybecollectedinyourcommunitysobesuretocheckwithyourlocalrecyclingprogrambeforeyoubuy. Someofthecommonproductsyoucanfindthatcanbemadewithrecycledcontentincludethefollowing: Aluminumcans Carbumpers Carpeting Cerealboxes Comicbooks Eggcartons Glasscontainers Laundrydetergentbottles Motoroil Nails Newspapers Papertowels Steelproducts Trashbags RecyclingCreatesJobsEPAreleasedsignificantfindingsontheeconomicbenefitsoftherecyclingindustrywithanupdatetothenationalRecyclingEconomicInformation(REI)Studyin2016.Thisstudyanalyzesthenumbersofjobs,wagesandtaxrevenuesattributedtorecycling.Thestudyfoundthatinasingleyear,recyclingandreuseactivitiesintheUnitedStatesaccountedfor: 681,000jobs $37.8billioninwages;and $5.5billionintaxrevenues. Thisequatesto1.17jobsper1,000tonsofmaterialsrecycledand$65.23inwagesand$9.42intaxrevenueforeverytonofmaterialsrecycled.Formoreinformation,checkoutthefullreport. LearnwhathappenstomaterialsthrownawayintheUnitedStatesinourTogether,WeCanMakeaDifferenceinfographic. ContactUstoaskaquestion,providefeedback,orreportaproblem.