ALUMINUM FOIL REUSE AND RECYCLING - Over 75% of all aluminum foil produced in the United States is used for food packaging and much of that ends up the local landfills. This is an unfortunate result of habits formed by a wasteful society and it is up to each of us to change that behavior. Environmentalists have criticized the use of aluminum foil due to the high resource costs associated to the production of the product. Many recycling centers and public recycling programs don’t accept aluminum foil, leaving many scratching their heads as to why. Aluminum foil is 100% recyclable though the catch is that it is often much dirtier than cans. With the sheets of foil often being filled with food waste that can lead to contamination, many recycling center simply won’t accept it. While American households recycle up to 70% of their household aluminum waste, most of that is from cans, leaving thousands of tons of foil sheets for the landfill. We throw away enough foil each year to build a fleet of aircraft and recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for 3 hours. Reuse that aluminum foil to reduce waste. One of the easiest ways to save energy and money is to reuse that old aluminum foil. Instead of balling it up and tossing in the trash, lay it flat and wash it with soap and water. Don’t forget that aluminum foil is also dishwasher safe, so just place it on the top shelf when running a load and you will be left with clean reusable foil sheets.

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Aluminum Foil

Facts About Aluminum Foil Reuse and Recycling

by Matthew Speer

Over 75% of all aluminum foil produced in the United States is used for food packaging and much of that ends up the local landfills. 

This is an unfortunate result of habits formed by a wasteful society and it is up to each of us to change that behavior. 

Environmentalists have criticized the use of aluminum foil due to the high resource costs associated to the production of the product. 

There are some simple and cost effective tips you can use to stretch your dollar and aluminum foil farther.

Aluminum Foil Recycling Can Be a Pain

Many recycling centers and public recycling programs don’t accept aluminum foil, leaving many scratching their heads as to why. 

If you can recycle an aluminum can you should be able to recycle foil as well, right? 

The fact is, aluminum foil is 100% recyclable though the catch is that it is often much dirtier than cans. 

With the sheets of foil often being filled with food waste that can lead to contamination, many recycling center simply won’t accept it. 

While American households recycle up to 70% of their household aluminum waste, most of that is from cans, leaving thousands of tons of foil sheets for the landfill. 

According to reports, we throw away enough foil each year to build a fleet of aircraft and recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.

Reuse That Aluminum Foil to Reduce Waste

One of the easiest ways to save energy and money is to reuse that old aluminum foil. 

Instead of balling it up and tossing in the trash, lay it flat and wash it with soap and water. 

Don’t forget that aluminum foil is also dishwasher safe, so just place it on the top shelf when running a load and you will be left with clean reusable foil sheets. 

You can reuse foil sheets time and again, saving you money from having to purchase new supplies.

A sustainable lifestyle can be a snap with some very simple changes in your lifestyle. 

It is not rocket science, reusing products reduces waste of all kinds, so think before you throw that aluminum away.

Matthew Speer is a Marketing and Advertising Executive that has worked with companies like AOL and U.S. News University Connection. He also has a passion for sustainability and keeping the Earth a beautiful place for our future generations which is why he helped create iSustainableEarth.com. Inspired by his own family and taking strides to go green he strives to live a sustainable lifestyle through research and action.

A Little About iSustainableEarth.com

Founded in October 2011, iSustainableEarth.com delivers useful and innovative information on Sustainable Living and all things “Green” to people just like you.   Our aim is to inform our readers of the latest trends, conservation tips and the steps anyone can take to make the most out of what precious resources we have.  We are committed to providing real solutions for real people helping everyone embrace a sustainable lifestyle.

Learn about iSustainableEarth

For some, sustainable living is just the way it is, skills passed down from family or learned through life experience.  For us, it all started with two leaky toilets and an outrageous water bill.  We learned that something so small can have a devastating effect on the environment and more personally, our wallets.  There had to be a better way and our drive to improve our habits showed us that while going green is easy to say, there was no one place we could go for help.  That is why we started iSustainableEarth.com, bringing together the top resources and minds to make sustainable living real, simple and affordable.

While we embrace the ideas that exist today, let us also challenge the world to live for the ideas of tomorrow.  Together and with one step at a time a difference can be made, let’s take that first step together.

http://www.isustainableearth.com/sustainable-living/facts-about-aluminum-foil-reuse-and-recycling

WASTE TO ENERGY - Landfills include a number of materials that are not biodegradable. Municipal solid waste is the official name of garbage. And it can be incredibly useful when it goes to a waste to energy plant. Instead of going to a landfill to do potential harm to the environment, it is used to produce energy. It works like this: the trash gets dumped into a large pit. A huge claw scoops up the trash and it gets incinerated. The heat from the incineration is combined with water to create steam. That steam is used to make turbines spin and the turbines create electricity. While waste to energy plants have a lot of potential, they need to be widely used to be the most effective. A perfect example of this can be seen in Sweden where waste to energy plants are commonplace. Less than 1% of household waste in Sweden ends up in landfills. In contrast, more than half of waste in the United States went into landfills in 2015. Sweden makes it a priority to convert as much trash as possible into energy. And that garbage can make a significant difference. How much energy can four tons of garbage produce? The equivalent of a ton of oil or 1.6 tons of coal, according to a Swedish power plant run by a municipal government company called Tekniska Verken. In Sweden, they recycle about 49% of their trash and about 50% goes to the waste to energy plants. While it isn’t the main source of the country’s energy, it does help to provide warmth in the winter.

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Waste to Energy

What is Waste to Energy?

by Matthew Speer

Humans create a lot of garbage.

Garbage fills up a lot of landfills. And those landfills can create a lot of environmental issues. What can be done?

In America, it might seem like a major problem.

Especially since landfills include a number of materials that are not biodegradable.

But there is a solution that can reduce waste and even help to create energy.

How Does Waste to Energy Work?

Municipal solid waste is the official name of garbage.

And it can be incredibly useful when it goes to a waste to energy plant.

Instead of going to a landfill to do potential harm to the environment, it is used to produce energy.

It works like this: the trash gets dumped into a large pit. A huge claw scoops up the trash and it gets incinerated.

The heat from the incineration is combined with water to create steam. That steam is used to make turbines spin and the turbines create electricity.

Sweden: Gold Standard for Waste to Energy Use

While waste to energy plants have a lot of potential, they need to be widely used to be the most effective.

A perfect example of this can be seen in Sweden where waste to energy plants are commonplace.

Less than 1% of household waste in Sweden ends up in landfills. In contrast, more than half of waste in the United States went into landfills in 2015.

Sweden makes it a priority to convert as much trash as possible into energy. And that garbage can make a significant difference.

How much energy can four tons of garbage produce?

The equivalent of a ton of oil or 1.6 tons of coal, according to a Swedish power plant run by a municipal government company called Tekniska Verken.

In Sweden, they recycle about 49% of their trash and about 50% goes to the waste to energy plants.

While it isn’t the main source of the country’s energy, it does help to provide warmth in the winter.

America is Also Working to Reduce Waste

While America may not have the same waste reduction rates as Sweden just yet, there are still many ways that the U.S. is working to reduce waste.

Aside from their own waste to energy plants, the U.S. also offers a number of waste reduction opportunities.

Recycling converts the trash into new materials.

Composting turns waste from organic materials into usable fertilizer that helps plants grow. These are just some of the ways that Americans can make the most of their waste.

There are even ways to make cash with trash.

Recycling programs can help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and can even pay in some places, depending on local laws.

Anything that helps to reduce waste is a worthy cause. And if it can also help bring in a few extra dollars, that’s even better!

Matthew Speer is a Marketing and Advertising Executive that has worked with companies like AOL and U.S. News University Connection. He also has a passion for sustainability and keeping the Earth a beautiful place for our future generations which is why he helped create iSustainableEarth.com. Inspired by his own family and taking strides to go green he strives to live a sustainable lifestyle through research and action.

http://www.isustainableearth.com/energyefficiency/what-is-waste-to-energy

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Composting of Solid Waste, Objectives & Its Steps

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Recycling Different Plastics

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Benefits of Recycling Metal

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BENEFITS OF RECYCLING METAL - Recycling metal has numerous benefits for the environment. Compared with making products from recycled metal, the production of new metal from mined ore releases far greater amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions may influence climate change and may also cause harmful levels of air pollution in cities, resulting in potential respiratory health problems for you and other residents. In addition, using scrap metal in lieu of virgin ore generates 97 percent less mining waste and uses 40 percent less water, according to the National Institutes of Health.

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Benefits of Recycling Metal

By: Joshua Duvauchelle

You and other consumers and corporations manufacture, use and discard millions of tons of metal every year, which goes into everything from small beverage cans to giant vehicles.

Approximately 150 million tons of scrap metal was recycled in 2008, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, which comprises 40 percent of the world's available metal used for manufacturing.

Recycling such metal has several direct benefits for the United States and the world in general.

Environmental Benefits

Recycling metal has numerous benefits for the environment.

Compared with making products from recycled metal, the production of new metal from mined ore releases far greater amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.

These emissions may influence climate change and may also cause harmful levels of air pollution in cities, resulting in potential respiratory health problems for you and other residents.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries reports that recycling metal may cut greenhouse gas emissions by 300 million to 500 million tons.

In addition, using scrap metal in lieu of virgin ore generates 97 percent less mining waste and uses 40 percent less water, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Energy Conservation

Recycling metal conserves energy that would otherwise be expended in drilling ore, refining the metal and other processes of the metal manufacturing process.

Energy conservation levels vary according to the product type. For example, the National Institutes of Health say recycling aluminum uses 95 percent less energy than deriving it from raw materials, while recycling steel saves 60 percent.

Put into more personal terms, if you recycle a single aluminum beverage can, you help conserve enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for more than four hours, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Ore Conservation

A limited amount of metal ore is in the planet.

Recycling reduces the amount of virgin ore needed to be mined by providing manufacturers with a source of already-mined metal.

The City of San Diego Environmental Services Department says recycling a pound of aluminum saves 4 lbs. of bauxite ore while recycling steel conserves 1.25 lbs. of ore.

Economic Benefits

Recycling metal creates 36 times more jobs than sending the same amount of metal waste to the incinerator, and six times more than sending the metal to a landfill, according to the National Institutes of Health.

National Recycling Coalition: The National Recycling Coalition says the recycling industry in general generates $236 billion annually and employs more than a million workers across America.

Healthfully is the ultimate resource for your journey to a healthy lifestyle. Getting in shape takes consistency and effort, and while on your fitness journey, you will have questions – everything from calculating your resting heart rate to training like an Olympian.  

https://healthfully.com/132349-benefits-recycling-metal.html