
Facts from the report
- 43 % of containers and packaging generated in municipal solid waste were recycled in 2007.
- Despite the prices of many recycled products touched an all-time high in 2008, the downturn in the U.S. economy brought precipitous declines in recyclables pricing.
- Prices of some recyclable items fell as much as 90%. Cardboard and mixed paper prices fell from $105 a ton to just $25. Plastic bottles fell from 25 cents a pound to 2 cents. Aluminum can price fell from 80 cents a pound to 40 cents.
- The food and beverage packaging world market is about $310 billion, with the U.S., Europe and Asia accounting for 90 percent.
Paper: Paper and corrugated combined together creates the biggest recycling

Metal: Steel and aluminum recycling continues to be the beneficial areas due to their low cost relative to new production. The report says that for each ton of recycled steel, 2.5 tons of iron ore and half a ton of coal is saved. While recycling of aluminum needs 95 percent less energy than production from raw materials. Recycling rates of aluminum peaked in 1997 at 67 percent, it had dropped to 50% by 2003. Now the rate has slightly increased, with 54 percent of aluminum cans being recycled. The Aluminum Association aims for 75 percent of all beverage cans to be recycled by 2015.
Glass: Glass is costly to transport, but its main benefit is that glass containers can be reused many times before recycling. Building insulation is the primary destination for recycled glass, which can contain up to 40 percent recycled glass. According to the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, around 300,000 tons of recycled glass is used for producing thermal and acoustical insulation per year.
1 comments:
These are the different kinds of packaging which are too versatile and modern and innovative as well.