Recycle
Introduction
If we were unable to avoid the use of an item (Reduce) or reuse or repurpose it (Refuse) then the last option to prevent waste and salvage the resources is recycling.
Recycling is the extraction of the materials from waste to use them to create new products. The most commonly recycled household waste is paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, and aluminum.
The Recycling Process
The steps of the recycling process are:
- Collection and Sorting: Recyclable waste is collected and sorted at the households and drop-off centers. Further sorting, cleaning, and processing prepare the materials for recycling.
- Manufacturing: The sorted and processed materials are used to manufacture new products or materials.
- Usage: Consumers purchase and use products made from or with recycled content, completing the recycling loop.
Common recyclable materials are:
- Paper: Newspapers, magazines, office paper, and cardboard.
- Plastic: Bottles, containers, and packaging materials.
- Glass: Bottles and jars.
- Metal: Aluminum cans, steel cans, and foil.
Some organic materials can also be composted or used in anaerobic digestion:
- Composting: The process of converting organic waste into compost, which can be used to enrich soil.
- Anaerobic Digestion: The process of breaking down organic matter to produce biogas for energy purposes and digestate for use as fertilizer. This form of energy recovery is also classified as recycling.
Benefits of Recycling
The environmental impacts of recycling are:
- Resource Conservation: Recycling reduces the need for new raw materials, conserving natural resources such as water, minerals, and timber.
- Energy Savings: Recycling often requires less energy compared to producing new products from raw materials, leading to significant energy savings.
- Pollution Reduction: By reducing the need for new material extraction and processing, recycling helps lower pollution levels, including greenhouse gas emissions.
- Waste Reduction: Recycling diverts waste from landfills and incinerators, reducing the environmental impact of waste disposal.
You can notice from the above that recycling also has economical benefits. Recycling creates jobs, reduces expenses on waste disposal and landfill management, and creates revenue possibilities. Especially for countries with little natural resources, where constantly importing new raw materials poses many issues.
Practical Steps to Recycle
It is important to know your local guidelines for recycling, such as the correct bins for each recyclable material.
You should sort your waste correctly, separating materials paper, plastic, glass, metal or other locally available categories. Flatten boxes, rinse containers to remove food residue before recycling, and separate materials that are attached to each other, such as plastic parts on a paper envelope.
You can read more on how to prepare waste for recycling here PUT_LINK. You can also read more about different types of plastic and product markups here PUT_LINK and here PUT_LINK.
It is always pleasant to have some extra income. Participate in programs that offer refunds for returning recyclable items like bottles and cans.
Conclusion
Recycling is an important step in waste prevention, following refusal, and reuse. It plays a vital role in conserving resources, saving energy, and reducing pollution. By embracing recycling, we can create a more sustainable economy.
