Tag: waste

Surprising Facts About Trash

11 Surprising Facts About The Things We Throw Away

slide_300291_2513275_freeHad the estimated 32.7 billion aluminum cans tossed out in 2011 been redeemed at recycling centers, they could have netted about $820 million.


slide_300291_2513276_freeMore than four million pairs of eyeglasses are trashed annually, according to Unite for Sight.


slide_300291_2513277_free22.3 billion pounds of textiles, including clothing, were thrown away in 2010.


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The roughly 38,000 miles of ribbon we toss each year is “enough to tie a bow around the Earth,” points out California’s department of recycling.


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According to the Rubber Manufacturers of America, 1.3 billion pounds of tires wound up in landfills in 2009.


slide_300291_2513280_freeIn 2010, Americans got rid of 152 million cell phones and other mobile devices, of which 135 million made their way to the trash.


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Each year more than 350 million pairs of shoes march into landfills, according to the charity, Shoes for the Cure.


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Ditto nearly 20,000 tons of used tennis balls, says reBonus, a recycling business.


slide_300291_2513283_freeAmericans manufacture about one billion CDs and DVDs annually, millions of which end up in the trash, says the CD Recycling Center of America.


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Over 10 million bikes are dumped into American and European landfills yearly, says Bicycles for Humanity.


slide_300291_2513285_free15.8 million tons of reading material (books, magazines) and other paper products were trashed in 2010.