American City & County, July 1994 v109 n8 p67(1) 
                The bulk of the recycling market. (statistics on recyclable 
                materials) Heather Hepler. 
            Brief Summary: The major products and materials for recycling 
            include newspapers and paper, 73.3 million tons, of which 40% can be 
            recovered for other uses. Other materials include: glass, 13.2 
            million; plastic, 16 million; aluminum, 2.7 million; 240 million 
            scrap tires; and steel, 12.3 million tons. 
            Full Text: COPYRIGHT Communication Channels Inc. 1994 
            Newspapers and Paper. About 73.3 million tons of newspaper and paper 
            are disposed of annually, constituting the largest portion of the 
            municipal solid waste (MSW) stream. About 40 percent of this is 
            recovered. The major barriers facing paper recycling are collection 
            infrastructure, sorting and education, says Powell Berger, director 
            of state relations for the American Forest and Paper Association. 
            Education is essential for success because if people do not follow 
            recycling instructions, especially for white Paper, contaminants 
            such as the wrong grade of paper or trash may be mixed with the 
            paper, either ruining it or forcing it to be used in low-grade 
            products. 
            According to a 1992 EPA Environmental Fact Sheet, markets for 
            recycled paper products are relatively stable and are continuing to 
            expand as more mills build deinking facilities and as the demand for 
            recycled products grows. 
            Glass. About 13.2 million tons of glass, or 6.7 percent of the MSW 
            stream, are generated annually, according to the EPA fact sheet. 
            AbOut 22 percent of all glass beverage containers are recycled, with 
            glass having an overall recovery rate of about 19.9 percent. Glass, 
            however, can be difficult to handle because of breakage, the need to 
            separate by color and contamination. Recovered glass is mainly used 
            to manufacture new glass, which typically uses 30 percent recovered 
            glass, and as an aggregate for roads. 
                  Plastic. More than 16 million tons of plastic waste is 
            generated annually, according to EPA. It comprises about 8.3 percent 
            of the MSW stream, with about 16 percent of all plastic bottles and 
            containers being recycled, according to the American Plastics 
            Council. Barriers to recycling include high cost of collection and 
            recycling, sorting and cheapness of virgin resin. 
            Aluminum. About 2.7 million tons of aluminum waste are generated 
            annually. It makes up about 1.4 percent of the MSW stream, with 54 
            percent of all aluminum containers and packaging being recycled. The 
            markets for aluminum are strong, according to EPA. Aluminum has a 
            high market value and can supply income for municipal recycling 
            programs. Almost all of the aluminum collected is used for new cans. 
            
            Tires. About 240 million scrap tires are discarded annually, 
            comprising about 1.8 percent of the MSW stream. About 11.6 percent 
            of these are recycled. According to EPA, about two to three billion 
            tires are stockpiled, providing homes for rodents and Posing fire 
            hazards. 
            Steel. Steel makes up about 6.3 percent of the MSW stream, with 
            about 12.3 million tons generated annually. About 41 percent is 
            recycled. Steel is one of the most developed and profitable 
            recycling markets. In addition to being used to make new steel, 
            recovered steel can be reused indefinitely, can be used in food 
            containers and is free of contaminants because they are burned off 
            in the recycling Process. 
             
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