86,000 tons of recyclables thrown away in Dallas every year

Every year Dallas residents throw away more than 86,000 tons of recyclables. Recycling those items could have saved nearly 50 million gallons of oil and more than a million cubic yards of landfill space. Most the 86,000 tons of recyclables thrown away was paper.

More than 37,000 tons of that 86,000 tons of recyclables thrown out was paper. That means more than 1 million trees could have been saved. More than 27,000 tons is plastic; more than 8,500 tons is metal; and 14,000 tons of glass is thrown away every year. Recycling those glass products could have saved 100,000 pounds of air pollutants from being released.

These projections are based off the City of Dallas 2013 Waste Characterization Study. Recycling protects our environment by saving resources, preventing pollution and supporting public health. Learn more about recycling by visiting our Dallas Zero Waste page.