What materials are most commonly
recycled in the United States through collection programs?

US recycling rates for commonly recycled consumer goods in
2006 are listed below:

• Newspapers: 87.9%


• Corrugated Cardboard Boxes: 72.0%


• Steel Cans: 62.9%


• Yard Trimmings: 62.0%


• Aluminum Beer and Soft Drink Cans: 45.1%


• Magazines: 40.5%


• Tires: 34.9%


• Plastic HDPE Milk and Water Bottles: 31.0%


• Plastic Soft Drink Bottles: 30.9%


• Glass Containers: 25.3%

EPA's annually updated report, Municipal
Solid Waste in the US: 2006 Facts and Figures, describes
the national MSW stream based on data collected since 1960.
The historical perspective provided is useful for establishing
trends in the types of MSW generated and the ways in which
it is managed.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

HFCs are man-made chemicals, many of which have been developed as alternatives
to ozone-depleting substances (ODS) for industrial, commercial, and consumer
products.

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)

Primary
aluminum production and semiconductor manufacture are the largest known
man-made sources of two perfluorocarbons – CF₄ (tetrafluoromethane)
and C₂F₆ (hexafluoroethane).

Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆)

The global warming potential of SF₆ is 23,900, making it the
most potent greenhouse gas the IPCC has evaluated.

The image above illustrates the four main stages of product life-cycles, all
of which provide opportunities for GHG emissions and/or offsets. These stages
are: raw material acquisition, manufacturing, recycling, and waste
management.

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ESSAY: No Time for Activism as Usual>>

12 ASTEROIDS AND EVOLVING INTO WISDOM

IN 2004, JOHN SCHELLNHUBER, distinguished science adviser at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in the United Kingdom, identified 12 global-warming tipping points, any one of which, if triggered, will likely initiate sudden, catastrophic changes across the planet. Odds are you've never heard of most of these tipping points, even though your entire genetic legacy—your children, your grandchildren, and beyond—may survive or not depending on their status.

THE ALARMISTS AND THE ACROBAT

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