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MATERIAL

ALUMINUM

PRODUCTS

Drink cans



Discarded/year

45% is recycled

ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING

96%

CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED

10 tons CO 2 /ton aluminum

PRICE PER TON

$1800-$2000

BOTTOM LINE

The huge energy cost--and associated emissions--of producing virgin aluminum from bauxite makes recycling a no-brainer. Each empty can is currently worth about $0.03.

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MATERIAL

GLASS

PRODUCTS

Bottles and jars



Discarded/year

25% is recycled

ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING

21%

CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED

0.34 tons CO 2 /ton glass

PRICE PER TON

$25-$40

BOTTOM LINE

There's only a marginal energy savings, and we're not going to run out of sand. Reuse (with bottle deposits) may make more sense than recycling.

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MATERIAL

NEWSPRINT

PRODUCTS

Newspaper



Discarded/year

25% is recycled

ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING

45%

CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED

2.5 tons CO 2 /ton newsprint

PRICE PER TON

$90-$140

BOTTOM LINE

It's the hottest recycling market today, fueled by insatiable demand from China. The challenge will be to increase recycling rates for mixed paper.

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MATERIAL

POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE

(PET, NO. 1)

PRODUCTS

Soft-drink bottles



Discarded/year

31% is recycled

ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING

76%

CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED

1.7 tons CO 2 /ton plastic

PRICE PER TON

$360-$480

BOTTOM LINE

PET usually gets "downcycled" into lower-grade fibers, but it's now possible to make it into new bottles. The price has doubled in the past two years; the market should continue to mature.

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MATERIAL

POLYSTYRENE

(PS, NO. 6)

PRODUCTS

Yogurt containers



Discarded/year

Negligible amount recycled

ENERGY SAVED BY RECYCLING

88%

CARBON EMISSIONS PREVENTED

1.3 tons CO 2 /ton plastic

PRICE PER TON

$560

BOTTOM LINE

It's very hard to sort PS from other plastics, so few cities even try. But new infrared sorting technologies could help make PS recycling viable.

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