The importance of recycling

During the past years, more and more countries become aware of the importance of recycling the waste. By recycling, we not only help the environment to be cleaner and healthier, but also we become more responsible for our actions. Recycling involves turning used materials into new products. A recyclable product is turned back into a raw form that can be used to create new and different products. The resources of the Earth are limited and if we don’t manage to take care of it properly we will end up having nothing to harvest for the future generation.

Therefore, we are responsible for our own waste from when we produce it until we give it to the authorized responsible/ authorities no matter if we are individuals or companies. We have to collect it properly using designated waste bins for each type of waste and we have to store it securely until it is picked up by authorized companies that collect the waste.

Importance of recycling

What is recycling? In a few words, recycling helps us to convert the old used products into new and useful ones. This is one of the best methods that we can help and prevent the environment that we are living in, by sending less trash to the landfills which helps in reducing water and air pollution. The world population is growing and each human being is adding a significant amount of waste to the planet. For example, if everyone recycles one copy of one single edition from the New York Times newspapers, 75.000 trees can be saved.

There are many advantages for recycling, ranging from personal level to a global extent. Recycling your waste makes you more responsible in the way you use and to dispose it. Studies have shown that people who recycle instinctively cut down on buying unwanted things from the supermarket. They think of how to dispose the packaging or the product after use before even buying it. As a result, people end up saving a considerable amount of money while also saving the planet.

Individuals, governing bodies and companies can have a major advantage in minimizing their waste as they are helping to reduce global environmental damage and making this earth a better place to live in. It is a direct contribution that everyone can take part of.

Benefits of recycling

It is already a well-known fact that recycling and reducing of waste can save you a lot of your money. But below you can find listed some of the most important benefits of recycling:

• Reduction of pollution –the more we recycle the old products the less we will require the need of buying new products and as a result, it will be the energy saving. Not only the reduction in the harmful gasses will keep the environment cleaner, but also the air we breathe will be healthier.
• Materials conservation – new products are made of raw materials that are procured most of the time through harvesting the natural resources of the earth. Therefore, if trees are cut down in order for new products to be made, these will affect the environment and the wildlife in a significant way. But if we recycle more paper and rely less on new products, this can be reduced significantly.
• Energy saving – If we manage to conserve the energy we can fight the climate change more actively. We can prevent the consumption of energy by demanding less new products that are being made with using of energy.
• Money saving – One of the most important aspects of recycling is money saving. If we manage to find a new use for old products, the demand for new products will decrease and we will save some money. If recycling is done properly on a large scale we can discover a huge impact on our monthly expenditure.
• Reduction of Landfills – The more we reduce our daily waste and we begin to recycle more, the landfills can be significantly reduced. Therefore, we need to recycle more in order to prevent affecting the environment and the air that we breathe.

What can be recycle

What you can recycle depends on your country, because not all materials can be recyclable. You have to check with your local recycle center and the legislation related to recycling in order to find out what you can and cannot recycle.

Most of the recyclable products are labeled with numbers or recyclable signs that help you understand what can be recyclable.

Also, you need to check the regulation applicable in your country to make sure that you have the correct disposal containers in order to ensure your efforts are being put to good use and heading to the recycling center rather than the landfill.

But most common recyclable materials/ products are plastic, paper, plastic cups, tins, glass, batteries, etc.

Recycling of commercial waste

If we own a company we should consider the following:

• Collect the waste in a container that prevents it from escaping or to vandalized
• Waste should be collected in an area that is not interfering with the activity of the company
• You should ensure that the waste is disposed and collected according to the legislation that is regulated in each country
• You must dispose our waste in such a manner that least harm the environment

Disposing the commercial waste

We have to take into consideration the following aspects when disposing the waste collected within a commercial or public company:

• You have to contract a licensed waste disposal company that will ensure that our waste is proper storage and disposed according to the law
• You have to keep the documents related to the disposal of the waste that shows that our waste was legally disposed
• You should have a separate file for the waste disposal contract and the related receipts and invoices that we receive from the waste collecting companies
• Or you can directly transport the waste to an authorized waste disposal company that will properly take care of it.

Facts about recycling

1. Trash that is not disposed properly will end up at some point in a landfill, or incinerated or it will lay down somewhere that will definitely hurt the environment somehow. Therefore, the more waste gets recycled, less damage is made to the earth.
2. Recycling gets money to everybody. Not only the environment benefits of the recycling actions but also it is good for businesses as it conserves a lot of energy. It is cheaper to recover raw materials from recycling rather than getting them from scratch.
3. Recycling it’s a problem that affects the whole human race, not only one country. If we don’t pay attention to it we will have the same major problems as we have with global warming.
4. More than ½ of the household and commercial waste is currently recyclable.
5. Trash pollutes the environment in general. It contaminates the sea and the soil, and it can also be hazardous for bird and animal life, ending in undermining the local eco-systems.
6. Recycling is the most responsible way in which trash can be dealt with and in which it can become an asset rather than a loss.
7. Recycling minimizes the additional landfill costs to a great extent.
8. More than 60% of the trash that ends up in trash bins can be recycled
9. Around 16% of the cost of a product is spent on its packaging which is completely wasted if not disposed properly
10. 80% of a vehicle can be recycled.
11. Aluminum cans can be recycled completely and put to use in a short time.
12. Thousands of glass jars and bottles are thrown away every day.
13. Glass can be 100% recycled and reused.
14. Glass products which end up in landfills do not decompose at all.
15. 24 trees are cut down to make one ton of paper.
16. On the contrary, recycled paper is proved to create 70% less pollution compared to normal non-recycled material paper production.
17. Plastics, which can often be recycled, take around 500 years to decompose.
18. One recycled tin can save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.
19. 70% less energy is utilized to recycle paper compared to making it from raw materials.
20. When you recycle one glass bottle, it can save enough energy to power a personal computer for 25 minutes.