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Recycling is the third step that should be referred to when deciding what to do with an item that is no longer used. After reduction and reuse, recycling is an option that takes the item from home to factory.
Some components are perfectly recyclable as they can be turned into new products of the same (or very similar) quality. Other materials have little benefit when it comes to recycling, as the quality of the “new” material will be so poor that it won’t do for many things.
Paper is one of the materials that are beneficial to recycling. When the paper is disassembled and converted into new paper products, it is of the same quality. It cannot always be converted into a material of the same quality, such as recycled toilet paper or paper towels, but it does have the ability to transform it back into utility paper.
Glass and metal can also be transformed into new products of the same (or higher) quality than the original product. It is difficult to determine the share of glass or recycled metal in the items you buy, because unlike plastic and paper, manufacturers currently do not advertise the level of recycling in packaging made of glass or metal. However, these two materials are the second easiest to recycle as well as the most durable materials that can be recycled.
Plastic, on the other hand, is one of the materials that cannot be transformed into a new product of the same quality. Instead, it is transformed into an inferior product, such as counterfeit lumber, which is technically not recyclable. When an object loses its quality and cannot be remade to what it was originally, it is considered down-cycling instead.
For this reason, despite the fact that plastic is recyclable, it is more beneficial for the planet to avoid it whenever possible. Recycling is better than just throwing it in the trash. So if you end up with plastic, metal, glass, or paper that you don’t have reusable for, recycling is a viable option.
The less packaging and products that end up in landfill, the better. Remember that recycling is the third most important of the three Rs and therefore should be an option you consider as a third. Support the recycling business by purchasing items made from post-consumer recycled materials. This will keep the process running over and over again, which will benefit both you and the environment.
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Source by Laura Kaeding