What is the Difference between Recycling and Reuse?

Recycle it: The old computer would be destroyed and scavenged for raw materials such as metals and plastics that can be melted down and then used again to produce a new computer. Because some recycled material can be used to produce the new computer, fewer raw materials are required but recycling is fairly energy intensive, still does require some raw material and can produce hazardous waste.

Reuse it: The old computer would be used again in its original form for the same purpose. For example a used computer may be donated to a local school or youth program to be used in a classroom. The only energy required is transporting this computer to the school and possibly reformatting the computer for its new use.

1. Americans generate roughly 4.4 pounds of solid waste per person, per day or 1642 pounds per year¹.
2. What’s really in the garbage²


• Paper products make up over 40% of the landfill
• Construction debris makes up roughly 12% of the landfill
• Food and yard waste account for about 7% of the landfill
• Baby diapers take up less than 2% of the landfill
3. The amount of waste generated to produce one laptop is close to 4,000 times its weight. When you throw away a 5 pound laptop you are throwing away roughly 20,000 pounds of waste. Reselling or donating your laptop instead of throwing it away or recycling it helps reduce future waste generated to produce a new laptop³.
4. Every year, Americans create

1. 19 billion pounds of polystyrene peanuts
2. 28 billion pounds of food discarded at home
3. 3.7 trillion pounds of construction debris

1. Reusable shipping containers save one Xerox facility $500,000 annually, and Xerox expects its worldwide effort in this area to reduce yearly disposal costs by $15 million²
2. An environmentally friendly hauling company helped clean out a 10,0000 sq/ft warehouse for a local production company and was able to donate 100% of the material to locals nonprofits diverting thousands of pounds of material from the dump and saving over $9,000 in dumping fees.
3. U.S. businesses alone consume an estimated 21 million tons of office paper every year - the equivalent of more than 350 million trees. If offices throughout the country increased the rate of two-sided photocopying from the 1991 figure of 20% to 60%, they could save the equivalent of about 15 million trees.²
4. Over $1000 in flower arrangements from a wedding were reused by donating them to a local hospice facility and the wedding couple received a tax receipt for their generous donation though iReuse.