Plastics Facts4,5

  • A one-gallon plastic milk jug that weighed 4.2 ounces in 1960 now weighs just 2.2 ounces.
  • The average American car contains 300 pounds of plastic made from about 60 different resins.
  • Every year, we make enough plastic film to shrink-wrap the state of Texas. 10% of the average grocery bill pays for product packaging (mostly paper and plastics). That's more than what goes to farmers.
  • We're making progress! In 1993, plastics accounted for 11.5% of the U.S. municipal waste stream; in 1994, the number dropped to 9.5%.
  • Products made from recovered plastic bottles include drainage pipes, toys, carpet, filler for pillows and sleeping bags, cassette casings, [and packaging such as clamshells].
  • The U.S. plastics recycling industry employs more than 53,000 people.
  • Of the 382 post-consumer plastic reclamation facilities, 265 facilities are vertically integrated into product manufacturing.
  • Since 1990, the number of post-consumer plastic recycling facilities has grown by 81 percent.
  • PET bottles (soda, water) and HDPE bottles (milk, laundry detergent) are by far the most commonly collected plastic materials in community recycling programs.
  • 10% of all households have the ability to recycle all types of plastic bottles in their community.
  • 63% of U.S. communities have access to a recycling program that collects plastic.
  • The PET bottle was patented in 1973 by chemist Nathaniel Wyeth (brother of distinguished American painter Andrew Wyeth).
  • The first PET bottle was recycled in 1977.
  • An estimated 9,400 curbside collection programs and 10,000 drop-off programs collect PET plastic in the United States, currently.
  • Approximate number of PET beverage bottles per pound:
    16 oz. -- 18 bottles per pound
    20 oz. -- 16 bottles per pound
    1 liter -- 12 bottles per pound
    2 liter -- 9 bottles per pound
    3 liter -- 5 bottles per pound
  • Cubic yards conserved in a landfill by recycling PET beverage bottles:
    4,800 recycled 16-ounce bottles saves a cubic yard
    4,050 recycled 20-ounce bottles saves a cubic yard
    3,240 recycled 1-liter bottles saves a cubic yard
    2,430 recycled 2-liter bottles saves a cubic yard
    1,350 recycled 3-liter bottles saves a cubic yard
  • Since 1978, manufacturers have reduced the weight of a two-liter bottle by about 29%, from 68 grams to 48 grams.
  • Recycling a ton of PET containers saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • According to the EPA, recycling a pound of PET saves approximately 12,000 BTU's.
  • The average household generated 38 pounds of PET plastic bottles in the year 2002.
  • Custom bottles (which are bottles used for products other than carbonated soft drinks) represent 55% of all PET bottles available for recycling.
  • Fourteen 20-oz. PET bottles yield enough fiber for an extra large T-shirt.
  • It takes 14 20-oz. PET bottles to make one square foot of carpet.
  • It takes 63 20-oz. PET bottles to make a sweater.
  • Fourteen 20-oz. PET bottles yield enough fiberfill for a ski jacket.
  • It takes 85 20-oz. PET bottles to make enough fiberfill for a sleeping bag.

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