The
United States could prevent annual greenhouse gas
emissions equivalent to the emissions of more than
8.3 million cars, if every American home recycled
their pre-1993 fridges with Energy Star qualified
appliances.
According to the Appliance Recycling Information Center, the
Average American family owns half a dozen major appliances. Most major
appliances are made primarily with steel. The choice to use
sustainable steel gives appliances both recycled content and
recyclability. In addition, steel extends the life span of
appliances to an average of 15 years. Because of the steel content, appliances are
annually recycled at a rate of around 90 percent, which has
many sustainable implications, including:
Conserving
millions of cubic yards of landfill space that would
otherwise be occupied by appliances, thus reducing the need
for new landfills;
Saving energy
that would otherwise be expended to mine virgin materials;
Supplying
valuable raw materials to the steel industry;
Creating jobs
throughout the recycling infrastructure;
Stimulating
the development of even greener steelmaking technologies;
and
Conserving
natural resources for our children’s future.
By recycling even
100 appliances, 2500 pounds of iron ore, 1400 pounds of coal and
120 pounds of limestone are conserved.
When this math is
applied across the more than 36,000 appliances that are recycled
in a day nationally, the natural resource savings are tremendous. This is
in addition to the energy savings that are brought about by
upgrading to new, more energy-efficient appliances.
The North American
Steel Industry, via the Steel Recycling Institute, is a proud
supporter of the Energy Star Recycle My Old Fridge campaign.
This campaign is aimed at encouraging consumers to recycle their
old appliances in the interest of energy savings and demands on
the electrical grid.
