Many people are growing concerned about the environment. Temperatures are reaching record highs in Europe, and record lows in North America. Climate change is to blame for this, scientists say. One way of countering climate change is to reduce global carbon emissions. An extremely effective way of reducing carbon emissions is recycling, something that everybody can do very easily. A reduction in carbon emissions isn’t the only benefit that can be derived from recycling, however. This post will tell you about some more very important reasons why you should start recycling your waste:
Environmental Protection
Recycling helps to protect the environment. When you recycle, it means that your waste doesn’t go to landfills. According to the recycling experts from aimecycling.com, by recycling and not taking items to landfills it is possible to reduce environmental impacts and energy demands from manufacturing and mining. As it stands currently, plastic will outnumber fish by 2050. If more people do not begin recycling, then this alarming statistic will become true. Additionally, 91% of the world’s plastic isn’t recycled, despite recycling bins existing in nearly every city and town in America. After recycling a glass, however, it can take as little as 30 days for it to appear on a store’s shelf, repurposed, and ready to be reused. Recycling is an extremely effective way of protecting the environment and making a very real change in the world.
Conserves Natural Resources
When new plastic is made or products are manufactured, there is a heavy impact on the planet. The reason for this is because product manufacturing releases carbon emissions and sometimes things need to be mined, so that plastic can be produced. If you care about the world’s natural resources and want to leave them for future generations, then it’s time to start recycling. Recycling can significantly cut down on the number of natural resources that we use, ensuring that they are available for people in the future to harness and use (but not for producing plastic!)
Saves Energy
A lot of energy is spent producing plastic. When you recycle items, energy is most definitely still used, but not in such large quantities as it is when plastic is being made from scratch. In North America and Europe, there is an energy crisis going on at the moment. Very recently Texas’ government was extremely concerned that they would not be able to provide electricity to a large chunk of their population. The same is also true in Germany, where people have been unable to heat their homes in some places. The COVID-19 pandemic and then the war in Ukraine have interrupted the international energy supply. The energy that’s wasted on producing plastic could be used by ordinary people at home.
Educates People
Because recycling is so prominent in today’s society, doing it can help to educate your friends and family. Everybody knows what recycling is, but very few people actually know how much of an impact one person can make by recycling. Most people have a laissez fare attitude about it, not really caring whether people recycle or not. If you begin recycling more in your household, then you can stress the importance of it to (and educate) your family and friends. The more people that recycle, the better for the planet.
Reusing Items
When you recycle, things are reused. If you do not recycle, however, then your plastic ends up in massive landfills, that take up lots of room, create unsafe environments for animals, and release harmful gasses. By recycling, not only do you reduce our reliance on landfills, but you also make a very meaningful difference, because your recycled plastic will 100% be reused by another person. Sometimes, plastic is reused and repurposed into clothing. Other times it is turned back into bottles, wrappers, and packets. Recycling your plastic ensures that it gets a second life, and maybe a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.
Easy to Do
Lastly, recycling is extremely easy to do. Our society has made it easier than ever for you to recycle, so there’s really no excuse for not doing so. Trash collection companies give people specific bins for them to recycle in, and all along public streets, there are recycling bins. You can also drive to specially-designated bottle bins, where you can dispose of your glass. Recycling is, in many cases, actually easier than not recycling is. Because of this, you should give recycling some consideration. There really is absolutely no excuse not to recycle.
Recycling can have a very real positive on the environment. If you want to contribute to the environment and want to be part of the change, not the problem, then you need to take it up. It’s easy, good for the planet, and ensures that future generations won’t have to suffer the consequences of our mistakes.
