Recycling in Peoria

History

In April of 2010, PDC officially took over the city of Peoria’s curbside recycling program from Waste Management.  Approved by the Peoria City Council in fall 2009, the new program is free for residents who only need to pay the $50 refundable deposit for a 95 gallon tote.

Recycling Facts

Recycling is a way of reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfill by separating out nutrients that can be used in the production of new materials.  Items like paper, glass, plastic, and aluminum can all be made into thousands of new products.  Peoria’s curbside recycling pickup includes metal cans, glass, plastic and paper.

Metals

Aluminum can recycling really works.  In just 60 days, an old soda or soup container can be collected, melted down, made into a new can, and be found on a grocery store shelf.

Making steel from new materials is expensive. Making steel from recycled materials uses 75% less energy than making it from raw materials. Across the United States, the amount of electricity saved could power 18 million homes.

Glass

Glass never wears out. It can be recycled over and over again, forever.  Recycling one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a bright reading lamp for four hours.

Plastic

Recycled soda bottles can be made into new soda bottles and even items like carpeting and fleece clothing.  There is one type of plastic that cannot be  recycled – polystyrene (Styrofoam™) and should be avoided whenever possible.

Paper

Recycling a stack of newspapers three feet high can eliminate the use of a single tree as raw material.  The production of new paper out of recycled materials uses 50% less water than making it out of raw materials.

For more information on recycling visit the following links:

• PDC Curbside Program for Peoria
• Peoria County Recycling and Conservation
• Earth911
• Illinois Recycling Association
• E-cycling Central
• Midwest Fiber
• Call2Recycle
• US Environmental Protection Agency