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Aluminum We recycle over half of our aluminum. Making a new aluminum can out of an old one saves of the energy used to make the can from bauxite ore. It also prevents nearly all the industrial waste and pollution caused by mining new ore. New cans are back in the store in as little as 6 weeks. |
| Paper We recycle about 38% of all paper. Paper fibers can be recycled several times before they become too weak and must be discarded. Using recycled paper to make new paper saves much of the energy and resources consumed by making paper from logs. |
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Glass We recycle about 20% of our glass. Making recycled glass uses less energy and makes less than making new glass because crushed recycled glass melts at a lower temperature than the virgin components of glass. |
| Plastic We recycle only 5% of all plastic, but 45% of the type of plastic used to make soda bottles. Although some plastics look alike, they can be made of different ingredients. They must be carefully separated because one small piece of one kind can ruin a whole truckload of another kind. |
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