| GRN Recycle Talk FAQ Answer |
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 97 10:46 WET DST From: FRIEDMAN.FRED@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV (Fred Friedman) Subject: Re: Impact of recycling newspapers, aluminum cans plastic (John Whitehead)
June 2, 1997
Dear John Whitehead,
According to the State of California: making cans from recycled aluminum reduces energty use by 90-97% percent compared to making aluminum cans from virgin bauxite; the same comparison issues a 95% reduction in air pollution. The same is true for paper reducing energy by 74% on average and water pollution by 35%.
Full descriptions of comparable reductions, including their economic meanings are available in the following forms:
Environmental, Economic and Energy Impacts of Material Recovery Facilities: A MITE Program Evaluation US EPA Office of Research Development, August, 1995, document # EPA/600-R-95/125 and probably now available from NTIS.
Also, call the Tellus Institute for their economic analysis of recycling whose name I don t recall exactly, at 617-266-5400.
Also, call the Environmental Defense Fund and request their documents on the subject, including their response Recycling Isn t Garbage . Their telephone # is 212-505-2100
-- Research Library for RCRA