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MATERIAL
ALUMINUM
PRODUCTS
Drink cans
RECYCLING RATE
1,440,000 tons
Discarded/year
45% is recycled
ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING
96%
CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED
10 tons CO2/ton aluminum
PRICE PER TON
$1800-$2000
BOTTOM LINE
The huge energy cost--and associated emissions--of producing virgin aluminum from bauxite makes recycling a no-brainer. Each empty can is currently worth about $0.03.
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MATERIAL
GLASS
PRODUCTS
Bottles and jars
RECYCLING RATE
11,390,000 tons
Discarded/year
25% is recycled
ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING
21%
CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED
0.34 tons CO2/ton glass
PRICE PER TON
$25-$40
BOTTOM LINE
There's only a marginal energy savings, and we're not going to run out of sand. Reuse (with bottle deposits) may make more sense than recycling.
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MATERIAL
NEWSPRINT
PRODUCTS
Newspaper
RECYCLING RATE
12,360,000 tons
Discarded/year
25% is recycled
ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING
45%
CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED
2.5 tons CO2/ton newsprint
PRICE PER TON
$90-$140
BOTTOM LINE
It's the hottest recycling market today, fueled by insatiable demand from China. The challenge will be to increase recycling rates for mixed paper.
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MATERIAL
POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE
(PET, NO. 1)
PRODUCTS
Soft-drink bottles
RECYCLING RATE
940,000 tons
Discarded/year
31% is recycled
ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING
76%
CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED
1.7 tons CO2/ton plastic
PRICE PER TON
$360-$480
BOTTOM LINE
PET usually gets "downcycled" into lower-grade fibers, but it's now possible to make it into new bottles. The price has doubled in the past two years; the market should continue to mature.
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MATERIAL
POLYSTYRENE
(PS, NO. 6)
PRODUCTS
Yogurt containers
RECYCLING RATE
1,460,000 tons
Discarded/year
Negligible amount recycled
ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING
88%
CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED
1.3 tons CO2/ton plastic
PRICE PER TON
$560
BOTTOM LINE
It's very hard to sort PS from other plastics, so few cities even try. But new infrared sorting technologies could help make PS recycling viable.
