According to the California Department of Conservation, Californians recycle nearly 400 tons of aluminum cans every day.  That's enough aluminum to produce four Boeing 747 passenger airplanes!

What is the Scrap Recycling Industry?
The American scrap recycling industry's products are worth at least $20 billion a year. In the United States alone, scrap recyclers handled approximately 120 million tons of recyclables annually destined for domestic use and overseas markets. This tonnage included approximately:

• 60 million tons of scrap iron and steel
• 47 million tons of scrap paper and paperboard
• 5.1 million tons of scrap aluminum
• 1.7 million tons of scrap copper
• 1.1 million tons of scrap stainless steel
• 1.4 million tons of scrap lead
• 248,000 tons of scrap zinc
• 2.3 million tons of scrap glass or cullet (beverage containers only)
• 745 million pounds of scrap PET plastic bottles
• 734 million pounds of scrap HDPE plastic bottles

This scrap is collected for beneficial reuse, conserving impressive amounts of energy and natural resources in the recycling process. For example, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recycled aluminum saves the nation 95 percent of the energy that would have been needed to make new aluminum from ore. Recycled iron and steel result in energy savings of 74 percent; recycled copper, 85 percent; recycled paper, 64 percent; and recycled plastic, more than 80 percent.

In addition to the obvious environmental contributions of the scrap recycling industry, ISRI members provide economic benefits to the nation, including exports that benefit the U.S. balance of trade.

Many ISRI members are small family-owned businesses, including a significant number that have been in continuous operation for 100 years or more. Others are large, publicly traded or privately held corporations. All members cherish their heritage as the nation's Original Recyclers®. ISRI itself represents almost a century of service to the business of processing and recycling scrap commodities. It was formed in 1987 through a merger of the National Association of Recycling Industries, founded in 1913, and the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, founded in 1928.

All ISRI members are experts in the handling, processing, shipping, and/or ultimate recycling of scrap commodities and can assist communities and organizations in the planning, establishment, and implementation of recycling activities. Their experience and capabilities can save countless public and private hours and dollars in developing effective approaches to recycling.