As Earth Day celebrates its Ruby Anniversary, many companies and industries are reflecting on how far they have come, environmentally speaking, in this 40 year period. This is a lot of reflection given that The Earth Day Network estimated more than 500 million people and 175 countries participated in the April 22nd 2010 celebration.
One of the major ideas Earth Day has brought awareness to is the concept of recycling. Not necessarily a part of the everyday vernacular in 1970, it is now an expectation of consumers that industries look to recycle materials as much as possible. Of all the industries: paper, plastic, glass, aluminum and steel, which do you think has made the greatest strides when it comes to recycling?
Believe it or not in North America, the answer is steel.
Mr Greg Crawford VP of Steel Recycling Institute said that "The North American steel industry commends Earth Day on its 40 years of advancing environmentally friendly behaviors. During each of the 40 years of Earth Day events, for its part, steel has been recycled at a rate greater than 50%. Each year, more steel is recycled than paper, plastic, aluminum and glass combined. This is just one part of the steel industry's long standing commitment to sustainability and to global leadership for our sector."
According to US Environmental Protection Agency estimates, in fact, in recent years, the overall steel recycling rate has exceeded 80%. This is due in part to the increased participation by consumers via the 8500 curbside recycling programs. Nearly 97% of these curbside recycling programs accept steel cans, which tracks national recycling options. Participation is very high for drop-off programs, too. An increasing number of communities are also accepting empty steel aerosol containers through their recycling program as well.
Mr Crawford said that "The prevalence and widespread recyclability of steel packaging makes it an easy way for consumers to purchase and recycle green packaging. Nearly 35% of steel cans are still thrown away during the act of cooking, but by being conscious of the benefits of recycling and keeping them separated from trash, consumers can begin making a difference immediately."
According to the EPA, recycled iron and steel save the nation 74% of the energy that would have been needed to make new steel. That energy would be enough to electrically power about 1/5 of the households in the US for one year.
(Sourced from www.greenlivingonline.com)
