You didn’t throw that magazine into the trash, did you? You recycle, right? Make sure you do! Recycling is critical to saving our
environment. Yup, we hear it every
day. We see the recycling bins popping
up at our grocery stores, parks, offices, stadiums, etc.… It’s awesome! We pat ourselves on the back every time we
toss our water bottle, aluminum can, paper and cardboard into the proper
bin. We are doing our part to make sure
our planet stays safe! Hooray for
us. But why exactly is recycling so
important and how does it actually help the earth?
Is it really all that imperative to put our empty soda can
into the recycling bin rather than the conveniently located garbage bag? Short answer- YES! Recycling conserves
resources, reduces landfill space, creates jobs, minimizes pollution and saves
energy, water and money (among other things!).
Recycling that one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for
three hours or the equivalent of a half of gallon of gasoline! Imagine all the gallons of gas you could
personally be saving just by recycling your own cans. Making sure your empty
water bottle finds a home in the recycling bin rather than the trash container
conserves enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours. So maybe think twice before tossing it into
the garbage after a workout and wait those few extra minutes until you see an
opportunity to recycle it instead. Even
the smallest steps have significant results.
The better we understand the
vital impact of recycling the greater chance we are to embrace it as part of
our normal routine. So let’s look at
those reasons why recycling should be our norm.
It may be difficult to believe but our world’s natural
resources have limits and some are dangerously in short supply. That
paper we write our notes on and the cardboard our children use for their school
projects come from trees. Plastics come
from oil, metals from rock and glass from sand.
The more we recycle the less we need to chop down, extract or mine to
gather raw materials for making the things we use every day.
It also takes less energy to make those products using recyclable
materials rather than manufacturing them from untouched sources. Need some examples for convincing? According to friendsoftheearth.com, producing
new aluminum from old (including recycled cans and foil) uses 95% less energy
than making it from scratch. For steel it’s about a 70% saving. And making paper from pulped recycled paper
uses 40% less energy than making it from never been touched wood fibers.
This all leads to one of the greatest benefits of recycling
and that is reducing landfill capacity.
While landfills are a vital part of our waste disposal system, we don’t
want unnecessary materials taking up the space needed for the products that belong
there. Furthermore, recyclable materials,
such as plastic and aluminum, that are not biodegradable remain in landfills
for centuries and could potentially emit gasses that could be harmful to the
environment.
This is just one way the avoidance of recycling has the
potential to cause pollution. Clean air,
water and soil are additional benefits of putting on our recycling caps. We can avoid further polluting our surroundings
by reducing the manufacturing of fresh materials and avoiding
incineration. Emission from industries, fertilizer run off
and oil spills damage our ecosystems that could be protected by recycling. Pesticides, herbicides and other contaminants
leaked into our soil depletes it of nutrients and renders it lifeless. Recycling immensely helps improve these
conditions.
Not only are we improving environmental living conditions, whose
lives aren’t enhanced by a little extra cash in their pockets? Recycling saves money
for both manufacturers and consumers.
Talk about a win-win. Corporations
say, “Yay!” because recycled source material is often cheaper than virgin ones. Consumers say, “Show me the money!” because companies
are often willing to pay for such material and reusing products certainly costs
less than buying new. The dollar signs
don’t stop there. There’s many new jobs
that come with going green. Millions of
people are employed to make the recycling process a success. People are given the opportunity to create a
living for themselves while saving the environment. Can’t argue with that.
Most importantly, recycling protects us! We are the ones that benefit from a cleaner,
safer and more vibrant Earth. Our health
and well being certainly tops the list of reasons why we should reduce our
carbon footprint. And we are the ones in
charge of creating the change.
Recycling is one of the best and easiest ways of taking action
for our planet and ourselves. Not only
is it a feel-good activity, it actually makes a difference! So if you haven’t already, start making a
conscious effort to increase your personal recycling efforts and take notice of
the positive impact it has on our future.
Now that you know the reasons behind recycling, there really are no
excuses not to take part in the growing trend!