Top 10 Reasons to Recycle

Good for the Environment: Recycling requires far less energy, uses fewer natural resources, and keeps waste from piling up in landfills.
Reduces Waste: The average American discards seven and half pounds of garbage every day. Most of this garbage goes into landfills, where it is compacted and buried.
Saves Energy: Recycling offers significant energy savings over manufacturing with virgin materials. (Manufacturing with recycling aluminum cans uses 95% less energy).
Preserves Landfill Space: no one wants to live next door to a landfill. Recycling preserves existing landfill space.
Prevents Global Warming: In 2000, recycling of solid waste prevented the release of 32.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE, the unit of measure for green house gases) into the air.
Reduces Water Pollution: making goods from recycled materials generates far less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials.
Protects Wildlife: using recycled materials reduces the need to damage forests, wetlands, rivers, and other places essential to wildlife.
Good for the Economy: American companies rely on recycling programs to provide the raw materials they need to make new products.
Creates Jobs: Recycling in the U.S. is a $236 billion a year industry. More than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises employ 1.1 million workers nationwide.
Creates New Demand: Recycling and buying recycled products creates demand for more recycled products, decreasing waste and helping our economy.

Source: National Recycling Coalition - April 2009