Michigan residents generate enough garbage each day to fill the Pontiac Silverdome.

  The average American throws 3 – 5 pounds of trash away daily. That is one billion pounds of waste each day in the U.S.

  Americans make up 5% of the worlds population and create 50% of the worlds garbage.

  The nations overall recycling rate has grown from 11% to 27% over the past 10 years.

  Americans throw away enough office and writing paper annually to build a wall twelve feet high stretching from Los Angeles to New York City.

  Every Sunday in a major city, more than 500,000 trees are used to produce the Sunday newspaper

  A ton of paper recycled saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 24 gallons of gasoline, 464 gallons of oil, and conserves 3.5 cubic yards of landfill space.

  Some of the end products created from plastic bottles include piping, garbage bags, park benches, t-shirts, carpet and filling for sleeping bags and ski jackets.

  Every glass bottle recycled saves enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for four hours.

  In Michigan, 90% of aluminum deposit cans are currently recycled.

  Aluminum recycling is so successful the industry estimated that each can sold at an average store will be back on a store shelf within six weeks.

  Each year, steel recycling saves enough energy to meet the electrical power needs of the City of Los Angeles for more than eight years.

  We throw away enough iron and steel to continuously supply all the nation’s automakers.