What Are Some Interesting Recycling Facts or Statistics?

Recycling has become much more popular and increasingly more necessary in the past few decades.

So much is known about recyclable items and recycling processes, but there are some little-known facts and statistics surrounding recycling.  They range from interesting, to surprising, to down right alarming.

Is Aluminum Foil Recyclable?

Foil made from a very thin sheet of tin, widely known as tin foil, was commercially available before its aluminum counterpart. Tin foil was marketed commercially from the late nineteenth into the early twentieth century but proved to have some kinks to iron out.

Tin foil was far less pliable than aluminum foil and tended to give a slight tin taste to food that was wrapped in it. The term "tin foil" survives in the English language as a generic term for the newer aluminum foil and proved to be useful for other things than just food packaging. In fact, the first audio recordings on phonograph cylinders were made on tin foil.

What Is Upcycling?

According to upcyclemagazine.com, upcycling is the process of "taking something that is no longer
needed or wanted and giving it new life as something that is useful or creative". The term upcycling surfaced in the mid '90s and gained popularity in 2002 when William McDonough and Michael Braungart published the book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

How does upcycling differ from recycling? There are some similarities between the two, but some distinct differences as well.

What Is A Bag Ban?

Plastic bags are lightweight, strong, convenient alternative to paper grocery bags. Flexiblity and and resistance to condensation also make plastic bags a more attractive choice.  

Compared to paper and reusable bags, plastic bags are far more popular among shoppers for everything from grocery stores to pharmacies, and retail stores. They are also easy to store and reusable for many purposes. 

Despite the popularity  of plastic grocery bags, a growing number of municipalities and  states are enacting laws aimed at reducing their use.  Some have even targeted paper grocery bags.