$65 billion industry in 2006
50,000 employees
150 million tons of scrap
materials recycled
annually including:

• 81.4 million tons of iron and steel
• 53.5 million tons of paper
• 4.5 million tons of aluminum
• 1.8 million tons of copper
• 1.4 million tons of stainless steel
• 1.4 million tons of lead
• 459,000 tons of zinc
• 3.5 million tons of glass
• 957,500 tons of plastic (bottles)
• 750,000 tons of electronics
• 111 million tires

Specification-grade scrap is a
raw material feedstock for U.S.
manufacturing:

• 2 out of 3 pounds of steel made
in the U.S. is manufactured using
ferrous scrap.
• 60% of the metals and alloys
produced in the U.S. are made
from nonferrous scrap.
• More than 50% of the U.S. paper
industry’s needs are met through the use of scrap paper with nearly 200 U.S. paper mills using only recycled paper.
• 33% of U.S. aluminum supply comes from recycled materials.

Recent independent research
shows there is enough material
to meet domestic manufacturers’
demand for recycled materials for
the foreseeable future.