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Recycle one steel can

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Description

Recycling a steel can (e.g. a dog food can) is a simple action that produces substantial results.

Tags

  • cans
  • metal
  • recyclables
  • recycle
  • recyclemania
  • steel
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Assumptions We Made

We assumed that the can is 15.5 fluid ounces, and you use one can a day. The calculations are based on the EPA’s iWARM model which calculates how much energy is saved when items are recycled instead of placed in a landfill. The energy is expressed in terms of the electricity that could be produced by the fuel saved in the production process. CO2 calculations subsequently are calculated based on a conversion from www.carbonfund.org where 1.297 lbs CO2 are generated when 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity is produced.

The model also assumes that a 100% recycled product replaces a product made of 100% virgin materials. This is typically not the case as the product is usually composed of virgin materials mixed with recycled materials.

For more information, please visit the EPA’s iWARM model page: http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/iwarm/index.htm

Impacts

Initial Impacts

Each time you carry out this action, the immediate impacts are:

  • Saves 0.13 lbs of CO2

Ongoing Impacts

Some actions also have additional impact over time. For this action, these are:

  • Unknown

Potential Annual Impact

We assume that this action will be carried out daily (about 360 times a year). In this case, in a year you could save:
  • 46.80 lbs of CO2
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