Recycling provides additional boon to environment

SACRAMENTO — An increase in the refund available for empty beverage containers prompted Californians to achieve a significant jump in recycling in the first half of 2007.

In the process, they also created a substantial environmental benefit, according to a new report released by the state Department of Conservation (DOC).

The “Six-Month Report of Beverage Container Recycling and Significant Carbon Reductions” shows California’s beverage container recycling rate rose six percentage points, to 71 percent, from January to June 2007.

By recycling billions of aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles during that time, Californians decreased greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 230,000 passenger cars from the roadways for a year.

To determine the amount of greenhouse gas emission reductions achieved through recycling beverage containers, the DOC used the Waste Reduction Model developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Emission calculations were based on the total volume of aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers recycled in California.

According to the EPA, products manufactured from recycled material require less energy than using virgin resources and lower energy consumption results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which are considered the primary cause of climate change.

The DOC compared the recycling rate of the first six months of 2006 and the first six months of 2007 to determine the beverage container recycling rate change.

Each year, the report says, California consumes 657 million barrels of oil and emits 492 million metric tons of greenhouse gas. By recycling nearly seven billion beverage containers from January to June, Californians saved the equivalent of 2.5 million barrels of oil and reduced emissions equivalent to 293,000 metric tons of carbon related to greenhouse gas.

To find nearby recycling centers, consumers can visit http://www.bottlesandcans.com and enter their zip code or call the DOC toll-free hotline, 1-800-RECYCLE.