Did you know…

• The increased use of modern plastics in construction and household appliances conserves energy and dramatically reduces emissions of greenhouse gases.
• Two new studies show that over the course of a 30 year mortgage, the energy efficiency made possible by using a plastic house wrap under the siding on a new home can save the average household as much as $400 a year on its utility bills.
• Today's two-litre soft drink bottle uses 25 percent less plastic than it did in 1977 and plastic grocery bags are lighter and create up to 80 percent less waste by volume than paper sacks.
• The annual amount of plastic bottle recycling reached an all-time high of 1.45 billion pounds in 1998, yet the capability exists to recycle twice as much plastic material as is currently processed. Consumers can help meet that capacity by increasing the amount of plastic bottles they set out for recycling.
• Because plastics are so lightweight, durable and easy to form, they enable manufacturers to minimize the raw materials used, energy consumed and waste generated in the production of goods ranging from automobiles to coffee cups.