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Before exploring the many benefits of recycling or inundating you with facts and figures, let me first make clear that there exist two even better options - reducing consumption and re-using what has already been made. Our planet's resources are finite. If we are going to pass on a livable planet to our children we have to take a long hard look at our consumption and disposal habits. Simple actions like avoiding products with excessive packaging or mending and re-using something that was broken can make a world of difference.
Remember, the effect of each small action is multiplied by the number of people that change their ways. Eventually producers do get the hints that we consumers give them.
Reduce - The best way to avoid exhausting our resources, generating toxic waste and using excessive energy is quite simply to consume and throw away less. This can be achieved by:
| 1. buying durable, long-lasting goods; | |
| 2. buying products and packaging that are free of toxins as possible; | |
| 3. avoiding products that use excessive raw materials in their production or packaging; | |
| 4. using products designed for longer life or that can be used again after their original use. |
Re-use - The next best option is to re-use anything that you can. This naturally includes repairing items, donating them, or selling them, all of which reduces waste . Reusing products, is even better than recycling as it avoids reprocessing materials which uses up energy and resources. Below are just a few examples of reuse in practice:
| 1. using and washing durable cups instead of using plastic; | |
| 2. using cloth towels, napkins and even nappies; | |
| 3. using refills whenever possible (water bottles, pencils, washing powder) | |
| 4. converting useful items like glass jars into containers instead of buying plastic ones. |
Recycle - If any one doesn't know what recycling is then they have either been living in a world with no resource problems or they have been doing an impression of an ostrich that is worthy of a mention in the Guinness book of records!
To Recycle is to convert what would become waste into valuable resources. The environmental, financial, and social benefits generated have made recycling one of the environmental success stories of the last 30 years. Glass, metal, plastics, and paper can all be collected separately and reprocessed into new materials and products.
Some facts and figures about recycling...
When you see the international recycling symbol below you can be sure that the material you are looking at can be recycled.
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But why would you want to go to the trouble?
There are three benefits of recycling:
Separating all recyclable items from other waste greatly reduces disposal and energy costs. Whether waste is buried or burnt, considerable costs are incurred and these cost are certainly not only economic. Leaks from land fills release toxins into the ground water that can have devastating consequences.
Recycling old materials reduces demand for raw materials. As the population of our planet nears 7 billion it is vital that we save as many raw materials as possible. Even if we were able to maintain a constant population (and we most certainly aren't able) there are nowhere near enough resources for everyone. If the world's per capita consumption was equal to that of North Americans, we would already need several planets worth of resources!
By recycling we avoid the need to further damage our surroundings in search of more raw materials.
Making aluminium, glass and paper requires energy. Starting the production process with purer resources requires less energy for processing. Energy is also saved in not needing to transport raw material from the original place of extraction.
