The Department of Environmental Protection this week reported Pennsylvanians recycled over 4.8 million tons of municipal waste in 2004 avoiding over $259 million in disposal costs in the process. In 2003, counties reported recycling 4.4 million tons.

The materials collected were valued at more than $113 million.

Other calculated benefits include:

· Energy Savings: almost 66 trillion British thermal units (BTUs) of energy, enough to power 643,000 homes for one year in Pennsylvania or the equivalent of conserving 531 million gallons of gasoline;

· Air Pollution/Climate Change Gas Reduction: eliminated more than 2.5 million metric tons of air emissions, including greenhouse gas emission reductions of 1.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent --- a savings of approximately 2.4 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Part of the air emissions savings total was 7,731 metric tons of sulfur oxides, an important ingredient in acid rain formation. Nitrogen oxides, a precursor to smog, were reduced by 8,814 metric tons, an amount equal to 5.5 percent of these emissions from Pennsylvania electrical utilities;

· Water Pollution Reduction: nearly 9,000 metric tons;

· Raw Materials: by recycling more than 1 million tons of steel cans, appliances and similar materials, Pennsylvania industries saved almost 1.3 million tons of iron ore, 718,460 tons of coal and 61,582 tons of limestone; and

· Paper: Through recycling newspapers, office and mixed paper, the state saved the equivalent of 8.2 million trees. On average, a live tree removes 60 pounds per year of air pollution from the environment.

For more information, visit Recycling in PA and the GreenTreks Recycling Resources webpage.

12/30/2005