Why Recycle?
Recycling is the law. The passing of the City of San Diego recycling
ordinance has required recycling at many residential and commercial facilities.
Recycling saves money. Implementing a recycling
program can significantly lower trash bills by reducing trash pick-ups. For example: With
an average cost of $20.00 per trash dumpster pick-up and $11.00 per recycling dumpster
pick-up, if a business or apartment complex with 10 trash dumpsters serviced three times
a week replaced 3 of the trash dumpsters with recycling dumpsters, the waste disposal bill
would decrease by $81 per week - an annual savings of approximately $4,212.
| Services |
Number of 3-Cubic Yard Trash Dumpsters |
Frequency of trash services/week |
Number of 3-Cubic Yard Recycling Dumpsters |
Frequency of recycling services/week |
Total Weekly Cost |
Total Monthly Cost |
| Trash Only |
10 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
$600 |
$2,598 |
| Implementing
a Recycling Program |
| Trash and Recycling |
7 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
$519 |
$2,247 |
Recycling helps the City meet State mandates. State law requires
local governments to reduce waste disposed in landfills by 50%. In 2005,
the last year that data is available, the City of San Diego achieved 52%
diversion. While San Diegans are doing a great job, this rate must be
maintained, and even exceeded... every year.
Recycling helps extend the life of the Miramar Landfill. Approximately
2/3 of all waste entering the Landfill is recyclable. Instead of taking
up precious landfill space, recyclable materials can be used for new products.
With the the Landfill forecasted to be filled to capacity and closed in
2012, the City of San Diego will have to find alternative disposal options.
This could raise the cost of landfill disposal for everyone in San Diego.
Recycling saves valuable natural resources. Making products
from recycled materials uses less energy and water, and pollutes less
than making products from virgin materials. For example:
Recycling one glass bottle
saves enough energy to light
up a 100 watt bulb for 4 hours. |
By recycling every plastic bottle in the nation approximately two
billion tons of plastic would be diverted from landfills.
|
Recycling 1 ton of paper saves about 17
trees which absorb 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide from
the air. |
Recycling Reduces Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions. Landfills
and deforestation account for 25 percent of the world's greenhouse gas
emissions every year. By "reducing, reusing and recycling,"
GHG emissions will significantly decrease. For example:
- If all residents and businesses in San Diego recycled all cardboard
waste generated in one year, we could reduce GHG emissions equivalent
to taking approximately 41,500 cars off the road for one year!
|
