A recent research study at the University of Texas in Austin indicated that if only 5% of all unusable materials at U.S. recycling facilities were converted to fuel, it would create energy to annually power almost seven hundred thousand homes.

Led by Dr. Michael Webber, the associate director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, the research study determined that fuel created from unrecyclable plastics had a higher energy capability than select grades of coal and could be used in industrial settings.

The study was part of a project designed to demonstrate that fuel from non-recycled plastics, paper and cardboard could successfully power a cement kiln.

In addition to the energy produce, the study also indicated that carbon and sulfur emissions were reduced – almost to the equivalent of remove a million automobiles from U.S. roads.

The study was funded by the American Chemistry Council, which is interested in finding new ways to harness and profit by America’s most abundant and affordable energy resource – those materials disposed of in landfills.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: One business’s trash can be another’s treasure. When was the last time your business did a waste disposal and waste recycling audit? There may be innovative new ways to save green all the way around!