Benefits

Second Nature Public Recycling offers recycling solutions to everything from small businesses to large sports arenas to entire municipalities.

How much energy is saved from recycling one ton of aluminum?

Approximately the amount of electricty the average home uses over 10 years!

THEN:

In 1998, 1.3 million gallons of bottled water were consumed.

NOW...

In 2008, 9.3 million gallons of bottled water were consumed.

How much iron and steel do Americans throw out?

Enought to supply all the nation's automakers on a continuous basis!

THEN:

In 1998, 30% of people recycled in the US.

NOW...

In 2008, 70% of people recycled in the US.

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to do what?

Watch TV for 3 hours!

THEN:

In 1998, about 9,700 communities in the US provided recycling services.

NOW...

In 2008, more than 20,000 communities in the US provide recycling service.

If the recycling rate of beverage containers was 80%, how much GHC emissions could we avoid?

3 million tons...the equivalent of taking 2.4 million cars off the road for one year!

THEN:

In 1998, 28% of total waste was recycled in the US.

NOW...

In 2008, 32.5% of total waste was recycled in the US.

How much energy would have been generated by using 10% post-consumer recycled content in PET carbonated soft drink & water bottles in 2004?

Enough energy to supply 270,000 homes for one year!

The economic benefit to Omaha has been the addition of jobs, reduction of waste to landfill, and a cleaner, greener City.

A 60-watt light bulb can run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 1 pound of steel. In one year in the United States, the recycling of steel saves enough energy to heat and light 18 million homes.
Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save: 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution.
17 trees can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Burning that same ton of paper would create 1500 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kills as many as 1 million sea creatures every year.
About one-third of an average dump is made up of packaging material.
The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world averaging 1,609 pounds per person/year. Resulting in 5% of people generating 40% of the Earths waste.
On average, it costs $30 per ton to recycle trash, $50 to send it to the landfill, and up to $75 to incinerate it.

City Initiative 2014:

an estimated 46 tons of material has been diverted from the landfill and recycled.

Events 2014:

100+ events with an estimated attendance of over 1.5 million people diverting over 79 tons of waste.

City Initiative 2013:

an estimated 39 tons of material has been diverted from the landfill and recycled.

Events 2013:

91+ events with an estimated attendance of over 1.9 million people diverting over 83 tons of waste.

City Initiative 2011:

an estimated 36 tons of material has been diverted from the landfill and recycled.

City Pilot Program 2010:

an estimated 22 tons of material was diverted from the landfill and recycled.