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Benefits of Recycling
Benefits of Recycling

Posted on Monday, May 21, 2018
By: J.P. Mascaro & Sons
Categories: Main Category  |  Recycling

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, 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!

Tagged:Green, Recycle, Recycling, Sustainability, Landfills, Environment, Solid Waste, Trash, Garbage, Evironmental Responsibility, Earth, Planet, Carbon Footprint, Energy Consumption, Plastic Bottles, Trends, Save Money

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