Recycling is considered as one of the best solutions to reduce garbage output and its impact on the environment. But although its definition is simple, which is re-using old or waste products or turning them into something completely new, getting it done is anything but. What is even more shocking, however, is that recycling is not all good. Although it helps reduce energy usage, consumption of raw materials, and air and water pollution, it does have its drawbacks.
List of Advantages of Recycling
- “Mandatory recycling programs offer mainly short-term benefits to a few groups—politicians, public relations consultants, environmental organizations and waste handling corporations—while diverting money from genuine social and environmental problems. Recycling may be the most wasteful activity in modern America.”.
- Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is concerned with the use and reuse of materials and recycling is a vital component of what it entails. There is absolutely no doubt that recycling materials conserve natural resources, and, as explained above, it creates jobs and strengthens the economy.
1. Environmental conservation and protection.
The continuous use of paper means trees are cut down continually, but not when paper made from certain trees are re-used repeatedly. This will help minimize deforestation or felling. Along with the production of paper from sustainable trees, forests can be preserved before they are completely wiped out.
Considering that trees help prevent floods, provide raw materials and nourishment, and improve air, we need to keep as many of them around as possible. If other natural resources can be reused in the same way, the environment and everyone relying on it would greatly benefit.
Recycling is considered one of the best things we can do as individual citizens to decrease pollution on our planet. It’s notably very environmentally friendly, and it reduces our energy consumption on a global scale. There are quite a few other benefits to recycling as well, which we’ll get into in the paragraphs to follow.
By recycling we could reduce exploitation of natural resources, save money, reduce pollution and waste, and create jobs and boost the economy. This article will discuss the many benefits of recycling including environmental and economic benefits. Preserves Natural Resources & Prevents Habitat Destruction. In the case of recycling, communities can see benefits when their government and local businesses invest in recycling facilities and equipment and promote recycling. Savings Potential Recycling isn’t just saving materials from the landfill; it’s also saving expenses and resources for communities that participate.
2. Reduce consumption of energy.
Transporting raw materials involves the use of energy, and a huge one at that. Processing raw materials also requires a significant amount of energy to get from source to destination. Put them together and the level of energy consumption just adds up. So why not recycle? Recycling paper consumes less energy than processing trees. The same thing it’s true when recycling or re-purposing wood.
3. Reduce air and water pollution.
A major source of pollution today is industrial waste that comes from factories producing plastics and cans. If both products are re-used, instead of manufactured from scratch repeatedly, pollution can be reduced significantly. Recycling also promotes responsible and proper management and disposal of plastics and cans.
4. Global warming mitigation.
Production of plastic cans and other items can involve burning massive waste that will lead to greenhouse gas emissions at staggering amount. Considering the effects of global warming, doing anything possible to mitigate them would be very beneficial. This includes recycling to keep the process of burning at a minimum, and reduce waste generation. Converting waste into useful and eco-friendly products would also help mitigate harmful environmental impacts.
5. Limit waste in landfills.
A majority of non-biodegradable products all over the world are thrown in landfills. As they take years or decades to decompose, landfills would not only be filled, literally, but also overflowing. This results in pollution, environmental problems and contamination of water and its surrounding areas, especially because overflowing rubbish can reach the oceans. Waste in landfills will also seep through soil and contaminate it. Through recycling, whatever problems associated with landfills will be addressed.
6. Spreads environmental awareness.
With calls to sort waste into biodegradable, non-biodegradable and recyclable, people become aware of recycling, educating them of its importance, while reducing environmental impact at the same time. When everyone becomes accustomed to recycling, people will be more eco-conscious and more participative of eco-friendly activities.
7. Make and save money.
Electronics, old water bottles, and other trash can be sold for cash. So if you sell them, you not only save the environment, but make money as well. If you buy recycled materials, which costs less than the new ones, you will also save money. The more money you will make and save if you re-use some of the trash that your home produces.
List of Disadvantages of Recycling
1. More pollution and energy consumption.
It’s contradicting, but the reality is that recycling tons of garbage will require waste to be transported, sorted, cleaned and processed in separate factories, all of which need energy and may result in by-products that can pollute air, water or soil. When more trucks are employed to pick up recyclable products, air pollution will also increase. In fact, the exhaust of the 179,000 waste collection vehicles in 2009 contains three dozen toxins that are all airborne.
2. Result in pollutants.
When waste materials break down, pollutants, such as chemical stews, will harm the environment. Toxins and impurities from the original material, such as lead paint or spray cans, could pass through recycling and then carried through the recycled product. Worse, it could take years before we realize that the items we have been using is contaminated. Recycled steel used in buildings in Taiwan, for example, has caused gamma radiation poisoning for the past 12 years.
3. Increased processing cost and low-quality jobs.
Recycling cost can go thrice as much as the cost of putting garbage in landfills. This is why it is often considered cost-inefficient, even if it is eco-friendly. The process is also labor intensive. And even when the manpower requirement is high, the kind of work involved can lead to low morale and poor quality of life, because the pay is also low.
4. Require stricter and more stringent implementation.
Recycling can have an adverse effect on health and the environment when not done properly. Debris and toxic waste that is improperly handled can contaminate land, air and the environment. This is why more stringent implementation must be followed. When recycling companies abandon dump sites, waste left lying around can have environmental effect.
5. Good products are not guaranteed.
Not all recycled items are of high quality or even safe to use. To recycle paper, for example, bleach is used, which is a harsh chemical that is harmful to health and the environment. As previously mentioned, recycled products may contain toxic chemicals that were previously present with the original material.
6. Generally ineffective.
As shown above, recycling results in more pollution, higher energy consumption, and cost-inefficiency, making it less effective than what everyone wants to believe. Moreover, recycling still failed to dent demands. The demands for aluminum, for example, increase about 10% every year, but the amount of recycled aluminum falls short. This means aluminum mining is still necessary.
The number of soda cans that need to be recycled is also many times more than facilities can process. In America alone, the average individual drinks 2.5 can per day, amounting to around 778 million cans that need to be recycled.
Keith Miller has over 25 years experience as a CEO and serial entrepreneur. As an entreprenuer, he has founded several multi-million dollar companies. As a writer, Keith's work has been mentioned in CIO Magazine, Workable, BizTech, and The Charlotte Observer. If you have any questions about the content of this blog post, then please send our content editing team a message here.
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Benefits Of Recycling E Waste
There are hundreds of reasons why you should consider recycling, especially if you own a business. Besides the fact that it reduces pollution, it diminishes the effect of conserves of the resources. If your business isn’t recycling yet, then you should consider starting doing it. It’s good for the planet, and also it will have a big impact on your business. Having a business recycling program is something you’ve never considered? Well, it’s time to look at the following benefits of why your company should recycle.
Improve your company’s image
Benefits Of Recycling Glass
More and more people are concerned about the impact of human activity on the planet, and consumers aren’t thinking about the price of the products, but they also think about sustainability. Deciding to recycle is a great wat to build reputation with your customers, as they will be happy to know that they’re favorite company cares about the environment.
Depending on the type of business, you could encourage your clients to even get involved in your recycling plan. This plan is not only good for keeping your existing clients engaged, but to attract new ones. Also, consumers will feel better about working in a company where recycling matters. If your employees will learn how to recycle at work, they will probably do it at home, or elsewhere. They will appreciate more working in a company with standards and values. It’s a great way to encourage more and more people to start recycling for the wealth of our planet.
It can save your business money
Recycling can also save your business more money in the long run. What happens when you recycle? New products are made, using less raw materials and energy. So, the more businesses and people choose to recycle, the lower cost of the manufacturing new products. This means that more and more companies will be able to offer products at lower prices. Many of the products could be used in your company, so it will help you reduce your business outlay.
Considering the many advantages recycling has, there is no excuse for you to not implement this process in your business right now. If you’re ready to implement it, call a recycling company as soon as possible. EPS6 is one of the best forms of recycling and packaging. Mil-tek has a great solution that provides many benefits to companies. It’s also a source of income for your business! It’s extremely useful for many industries, including for fruits and meat companies. Usually, businesses don’t recycle, as they believe that it’s expensive and difficult. But reputable companies, such as Mil-tek, will ensure that you can send the material for safely and securely recycling.
Contact a recycling company today that can help your business learn more about the recycling opportunities, and how your company can minimize waste. This will save money and space for your business.
Attract Higher Quality Workers
Employees will be more motivated to work for a company that recycles, simply because workplace sustainability and recycling is very important to millennials. Previous generations didn’t put their attention to recycling, but now, most of the younger generation are willing to even quite their job, if recycling isn’t implemented in the company. It makes sense, as most millennials are planning to change workplace in the next years then other generations.
Protect the Environment
This is perhaps the most relevant reason why people should recycle: because we can help protect the environment. How can businesses recycle and bring a positive impact on the environment?
First of all, it saves energy. Recycling takes less energy to reuse and produce the same materials. Newspapers, for example, are reused for printing. If you recycle aluminum cans, you save up to 90% of the energy used to produce another one. The world population continues to grow, so it means that the size of the landfills and trash dumps must grow as well. The landfills are mostly full of products that aren’t biodegradable. This means that these products will remain in the landfills for hundreds of years, producing damaging vapors.
Food waste is also a massive problem which causes pollution. Only in the USA, 40% of the food is wasted. Where is food wasted?
- Retail businesses
- Households
- Restaurants
- Institutions
There are several reasons why food gets wasted, and this is a global problem. There are major environmental impacts of food waste, which means that uneaten food is the biggest component of public solid waste. What can you do? Learn how to reduce food waste with your own cooking ideas. To create zero waste in the kitchen, try planning meals and shop for food in advance, but be careful not to end up throwing it in the garbage. Learn how to recycle at home, and at work – local government must have a program you can participate in. You can check the drop-off points of food waste.
Why We Need To Recycle
How to recycle at work?
Benefits Of Recycling For The Environment
Making changes to reuse and reduce waste at work can be very beneficial to you and your company. There are many organizations that can start recycle and deliver a great example to the rest of the population. Why not start with your business?
It’s important to communicate with your staff members and consider their thoughts. Ideas are always welcome to be discussed, so make sure you keep everyone informed of the businesses’ evolution. You can start by reducing paper use and recycle waste paper. It will help you use less paper and save money. 60% of the waste is produced by paper waste. You can split paper use and print documents on both sides, for example. And remember, only print when necessary.
Benefits Of Recycling Pdf
If you work in an office environment, try to update and restore computers. Don’t throw them away. This reduces your waste and the manufacture of new computers. Or you can choose to donate the computers to charity companies. Also, use rechargeable batteries: for non-rechargeable batteries, create a place where they can be deposited.
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