Yes, it does - but so does waste removal. When comparing apples
to apples (recycling to waste removal), recycling comes out on
top: reduced "tipping fees" (fee to dump trash), energy savings
(see "Recycling Facts"), and there are companies that actually
pay for those recycled products. Plus, the recycling industry
creates jobs! Actually, manufacturing using 1 ton of recycled
materials uses less than half of the energy to manufacture the
same products using raw, virgin materials. In fact, making
aluminum cans from recycled cans takes 95 percent less energy
than making cans from raw aluminum bauxite ore, saving an
estimated 14,000 kilowatt hours of energy and 40 barrels of oil.
In addition, the energy saved from recycling one ton of paper
saves enough energy to power an average household for up to six
months, saves 7,000 gallons of water, and keeps 600 pounds of
pollutants out of the air . And, those collection trucks are
going to be there anyway, whether it's picking up garbage or
recyclables. "It just gets th