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Recycling is a process – a series of activities, if you prefer, that includes: collecting and sorting waste, processing these materials to make entirely new products, and consumers purchasing and using these new products.
Recycling is more optimized and efficient if we apply the three principles of waste management: reduction, reuse, recycling.
Reducing the amount of waste that would otherwise end up in recycling centers or landfills is achieved by deliberately reducing purchases and consumption, composting organic waste, and a firm refusal to use disposable items such as polystyrene and plastic bags. Reusing materials serves to extend the service life of an item. Examples of this are: converting glass bottles into art lampshades for lamps, giving old cell phones to family or friends for reuse, and converting street rubbish bins into public bathtubs.
But why recycle? Why bother with recycling rubbish? What are the benefits of recycling for us and the environment?
Let’s take a look at the benefits of recycling:
Recycling helps protect the environment
Recycling significantly reduces the amount of waste deposited in our landfills or incinerated in incinerators. The designed landfills in most cities are designed to contain toxic chemicals leaking from the decomposing solid waste reaching our water systems. But for how long? We are already receiving reports of hazardous chemicals polluting water resources in some cities. Burning solid waste into electricity can be efficient, but we are paying the price in terms of increased carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Recycling helps save limited resources
To put this benefit into perspective, consider a statement by the Pennsylvania Department of the Environment: “By recycling more than 1 million tons of steel in 2004, Pennsylvania residents saved 1.3 million tons of iron ore, 718,000 tons of coal and 62,000 tons of limestone. We have saved nearly 8.2 million trees by recycling newsprint, office paper and mixed paper. ”
Resources such as oil and precious metals (gold, silver, bauxite, copper, etc.) are finite resources that will run out sooner or later. Cell phone and computer manufacturers such as Dell and Apple recognize the need for a steady supply of raw materials – most of them run repurchase programs to recycle materials from used products.
Recycling promotes energy efficiency
Recycling is much more energy-efficient than making something from fresh raw materials. Made on a national scale, it can lead to a significant reduction in our energy costs. The energy needed to extract, process and transport the metal from the mine to the refinery is obviously much greater than what is needed to recycle metal from used products – it costs more to make a brand new aluminum can from fresh material than to make 20 cans from recycled materials!
Recycling helps build a strong economy
Each reduction of costs, energy efficiency, saving materials and generating jobs thanks to recycling contribute to building a strong economy for our country. Recycling, carried out nationwide, has a huge positive impact on the economy. There was a fall in secondary raw material prices last year when the financial crisis began, but it shows the resilience of the industry that prices are now back to pre-crisis levels – a recovery that is well ahead of us than most other industries. Jobs are created and city and town authorities benefit from huge savings in electricity, garbage disposal and landfill costs.
Recycling creates jobs
Recycling generates more jobs than landfilling or waste incineration. This is an advantage that we cannot lose sight of in times of recession and high unemployment. Consider the disposal of 10,000 tons of solid waste: burning it for electricity creates 1 job; collecting it and dumping it in landfill will create 6 jobs; processing waste for recycling will generate 36 jobs!
Recycling builds a community
People unite and build communities around common causes, problems and advocates. Recycling is no different. In many neighborhoods and cities across the country, we see concerned citizens working together on recycling initiatives, environmental lobbying groups, and free recycling groups. If you are new to recycling or environmental advocacy, find a local group to work with. Keeping a course is more fun and rewarding when other enthusiasts cheer you on.
Recycling can be financially profitable
If you just want to earn money to survive these tough times or start a home business, recycling is a viable option. Starting a home recycling business is relatively easy and inexpensive. You just need to plan what material (cell phone, paper, metals, etc) you are going to collect, schedule storage, contact the recycling facility to arrange a price, and you can start collecting the recyclable material and reselling it to the recycling facility for a decent profit. The big recycling giants in the United States started out as home businesses years ago – you can do it too – these guys just saw the huge potential of this business, ahead of the crowd.
The benefits of recycling for all of us, for society and the environment are compelling reasons why we recycle. For many of us, recycling has become second nature – a way of life. This is a small but extremely important piece of environmental protection – without recycling, all our efforts to protect the planet will be less effective and even futile. Let’s continue recycling.
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Source by Michael Arms