Waste reduction fast facts: Metals
Garbage and recycling › Resources for schools › Fast facts about waste reduction › Metals
This resource is not exhaustive nor is it all-inclusive, but can be cited and dated from primary and secondary sources. To find out more about the methodology or accuracy, contact the referenced source.
Metro does not validate nor endorse any of these facts.
- In 2003, metals accounted for 8 percent of the total materials discarded in the United States. –EPA, “Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2003 Facts and Figures,” 2003
- In the Portland metro region, metals accounted for 8 percent of the total materials discarded in 2002. –Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Waste Composition Study, 2002
- Gold mining is among the most polluting industries in the world, generating a staggering 79 tons of mine wastes for every ounce of gold produced. –Worldwatch Magazine, "Moving Glaciers to Mine Gold?", Payal Sampat, September/October 2005
www.worldwatch.org/pubs/mag/2005/185 - Some 220 tons of earth are excavated to produce just a ton of copper. –Worldwatch Institute, Payal Sampat, “From Rio to Johannesburg: Mining Less in a Sustainable World,” Aug. 6, 2002
www.worldwatch.org/press/news/2002/08/06/ - Recycling copper takes seven times less energy than processing ore, but only 13 percent of copper consumed worldwide comes from recycled sources. –Worldwatch Institute, Payal Sampat, “From Rio to Johannesburg: Mining Less in a Sustainable World,” Aug. 6, 2002
www.worldwatch.org/press/news/2002/08/06/ - Recycling steel and tin cans saves between 60 and 74 percent of the energy used to produce them from raw materials. –Environmental Protection Agency, 2002
www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/wstewise/wrr/factoid.htm - Recycling one pound of steel saves enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb more than 26 hours. –Oregon DEQ, “Rethinking Recycling: An Oregon Waste Reduction Curriculum,” 2001
www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/solwaste/rethinkrecyc/rethinkrecyc.html - Every ton of steel recycled saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone. –Steel Recycling Institute, 2000
www.recycle-steel.org/index2.html - Recycling one ton of steel reduces air pollution by 86 percent and water pollution by 76 percent and saves 74 percent energy and 40 percent of the water that would have otherwise been used. It also reduces the need for virgin materials by 90 percent. –Oregon DEQ, “Rethinking Recycling: An Oregon Waste Reduction Curriculum,” 2001
www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/solwaste/rethinkrecyc/rethinkrecyc.html - One ton of recycled steel saves the energy equivalent of 3.6 barrels of oil and 1.49 tons of iron ore over the production of new steel. –Environmental Protection Agency, 2002
www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/wstewise/wrr/factoid.htm - More than 5,400 BTU of energy are conserved for every pound of steel recycled. –Environmental Protection Agency, “Resource Conservation Challenge: Making the Connection with Solid Waste Facts and Figures,” EPA 530-F-02-034, 2002
- Enough energy is saved annually by recycling steel in the U.S. to supply the city of LA with electric for almost 10 years. –Environmental Protection Agency, “Resource Conservation Challenge: Making the Connection with Solid Waste Facts and Figures,” EPA 530-F-02-034, 2002
- In 2002, the Portland metro region recycled 83,000 tons of ferrous scrap metal, reducing the need for 104,000 tons of iron ore, 5,000 tons of limestone and 50,000 tons of coal. –Metro, internal report, 2003
- Collection, crushing and melting of scrap metal back into new production makes steel the second most recycled material in the U.S. (asphalt pavement is the first). –Sustainable Industries Journal Northwest, “Steel recyclers feverish to feed China’s demand,” April 2004 and Sustainable Industries Overview, 2004 Edition