The 3R Program Recycling at Northern Illinois University www.niu.edu NIU Calendar Campus Maps
Northern Illinois University
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To contact us:
Phone:
815-753-0352
Fax:
815-753-6290

3R Program Physical Plant Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115

Recycling Symbols
Other Waste Facts


  • An average American uses 8 times the natural resources of the average world citizen-and produces 5 times the air pollution of the average world citizen.
  • The world's forests are being destroyed at the rate of 1 acre per second. Every 16 minutes, a forest the size of New York's Central Park is destroyed. Every day, a forest the size of Philadelphia (74,000 acres) is lost, and every year, an area the size of Pennsylvania (27 million acres) is ruined.
  • To date, scientists have named 1.4 million species of plants and animals, but estimate that between 5-3 million share our planet. Tropical rain forests, which are home to about half of all the Earth's plant and animal species, are being destroyed at the rate of 100 acres per minute.
  • Rechargeable batteries cost more than disposable batteries, but they save money in the long run because they can be recharged up to 1,000 times! If you take care of them, they can last up to 10 years.
  • In United States, about 1.5 million tons of used automotive batteries are generated annually and about 96% of automotive batteries are recycled each year.
  • In 1993, a curbside bin of recyclables was worth $46 per ton. In 1995, a curbside bin of recyclables was worth $165 per ton-an increase of 259%.
  • We pay more for food packaging than we pay the American farmer for growing food.
  • The 64-store Purity Supreme supermarket chain in Bedford, MA, has opened "green checkout lanes" that are open only to customers who bring their own bags to the store.
  • In a supervised project, Boulder County, Colorado dumped over 5,000 old Christmas trees on the bottoms of nearby lakes. Sound strange? It's an ecological benefit, the trees shelter fish and attract bugs for them to eat.
  • In a long-term research program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, ash fabricated into concrete blocks is being used for artificial reefs.
  • A 1991 study by Carnegie Mellon predicted that 25 million personal computers would be landfilled world wide by 1995, and this number would increase to 150 million-enough to fill an acre-wide hole three and half miles deep-by the year 2005.