Are you recycling? Do you want to help keep your city clean? Do you live in the Fresno, California area? The City of Fresno Recycling is here to remind you of the importance of vigilant recycling! Visit www.fresno.gov/recycle  and learn more about our recycling program and how to make the earth a little greener!

Every time you turn on the water, flush the toilet, dispose of garbage, recycle a soda can, or do any number of other seemingly ordinary things around your house and yard, you are using the services provided by the City of Fresno. Our staff does its utmost to make sure that all of our waste management, including recycling, is handled properly by all members of our community!

We’re here to tell you the importance of recycling! What can you recycle? Here’s a full description:

PAPER
Paper comes from trees, so every time we have to make new paper, we are cutting down trees. Almost 50% of wood is used for paper. Recycling could save 100 million acres of forest.

Wood that is unsuitable for lumber is used for paper. 17 trees can produce 1 ton of paper. Bark is removed, trees are chipped, processed and broken down to fibers then washed, then pressed and dried.

Paper manufacturing pollutes the environment. Producing 1 ton of paper creates 84 lbs of air pollutants, 36 lbs of water pollutants and 176 lbs of solid waste. Disposing of paper pollutes again as air pollution from burning or ground contamination from landfill leakage. Recycling paper uses 60% less energy than manufacturing paper from virgin timber.

Paper can be recycled into writing or printing paper, newsprint, roofing products, building insulation, fiberboard and other construction materials, fruit trays, flower pots, egg cartons, craft paper, tissue, cardboard, packing material, animal bedding, and more.

7,500 trees are used for the Sunday edition of the New York Times each week.

PLASTIC
There are many different types of plastic. The main seven types of plastic have numbers on them inside a recycling symbol, if you aren’t sure what type of plastic you have, find the recycle symbol and compare the number to those listed below. All plastics (except #6, Styrofoam) are recyclable in the City of Fresno, even if it doesn’t have a number on it.

Plastic is made by linking together natural gas and crude oil, once linked together they form a solid resin which is used to make plastic.

It can take up to 700 years for plastic to decompose (break down and disappear) when it goes to a landfill or dump.

PET plastic can be shredded into fibers and woven into threads to make clothing, to stuff sleeping bags, jackets and quilts. HDPE plastic can be made into construction materials such as railroad ties, parking blocks, pipes and beams, playground equipment, and decking materials.

ALUMINUM
Aluminum is made from a natural resource called Bauxite Ore. This ore is found in rocks and must be mined, it is not a renewable resource which means that once it is gone, we will not have any more.

It can take 80-100 years for an aluminum can to decompose (break down and disappear) when it goes to landfill.

Aluminum can be recycled into packaging and containers (beverages, food), building materials, automobile and aircraft construction, appliances (stoves, refrigerators), toys, picture frames, decorative home décor (Bowls, vases, etc), baseball bats, and more.

Aluminum is shredded and decontaminated, melted and poured into forms. The entire process takes about 90 days. It can be recycled over and over again, forever.

Recycling aluminum uses 96% less energy than it takes to produce the same amount of aluminum from raw materials. 95% of air pollutants are eliminated and 100% of solid waste is kept from landfills. Recycling one Aluminum can saves enough electricity to operate a TV for up to 3 hours.

BI-METAL
A bi-metal can is actually made from steel with a thin plating of tin. You can often tell one of these cans by placing a magnet next to it. If the magnet sticks, the can is most likely bi-metal.

Steel and tin, as well as other metals are all natural resources. This means that we have to mine the materials from our Earth and eventually they will be gone. For every ton of steel recycled, 2500 pounds of iron ore, 1400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone are conserved.

Steel can be used for more cans, cars, appliances, and construction materials.

GLASS
Glass is made of soda ash, limestone and a lot of sand. The mixture is put into a very hot furnace and when it melts, it turns into glass.

It will take over 1,000,000 (one million) years for a glass bottle or jar to decompose (break down and disappear) when it goes to landfill.

Glass can be recycled into new bottles and jars, fiberglass insulation, concrete, sewer pipes, bricks, tiles, road paving material, light bulbs, glassware, new glass containers, decorative home décor, surf boards (by way of fiberglass), and more.

Glass can be recycled and used over and over again. Most bottles and jars are made from recycled glass.

Recycled glass melts at a lower temperature than new materials, so it takes less energy to heat the furnace. Recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to light a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours. By using 50% recycled glass in making new glass, water use is cut by 50%, waste is cut by 79%, and air pollutants by 14%.

Remember!

• Reduce– Reduce the amount of products you buy. Buy wisely and buy less.
• Reuse– Reuse whatever you can and donate good used items to a church or charity. Give your recyclable items a second chance.
• Recycle– Recycle everything you can. Buy products that are recycled or that can be recycled.

 

For more information on recycling call the Recycling Hotline at (559) 621-1111.
The City of Fresno Recycling is located at:

1325 El Dorado Street
Fresno, CA 93706

Call (559) 621-1111 for more information on recycling in Fresno.

Visit www.fresno.gov/recycle  today and learn how you can do your part to create a greener world through recycling!