Benefits of Recycling

Article written and Website edited By Misaki Tomiyama

Recycling is the process of collecting used material to make new objects out of them, instead of throwing them away. It is an important component of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle), that the government, schools and society encourages us to do. The increase in population is somewhat directly proportional to the amount of goods we use and the waste we produce. Recycling is a key component to an effective waste management, and helps us create a sustainable environment. We know what recycling is, but what are the specific benefits of recycling?

First and foremost, recycling helps us conserve and protect our environment. Recycling can greatly contribute to a beneficial waste management- through recycling, we can drastically decrease the waste we produce. Waste management involves the process of collecting to dispose of the waste produced by humans. An effective way of managing waste is important to sustain the environment.

When manufacturers make products, they extract natural resources from earth, such as though mining and quarrying. Some also harvest or produce crops by growing. However, if we recycle, we reduce the need to grow and harvest natural resources of earth, and lessens the damage we do to our environment.

Another significant benefit of recycling is the amount of energy we save. When manufacturers produce products, they use a lot of energy, such as electricity, fossil fuels etc. Producing aluminium from old products- recycled products, uses 95% less energy than making it from scratch. Furthermore, making paper from recycled material, reduces energy usage by 40%. Through recycling, we can drastically save the energy we use, which can help us lead a better quality of life, as saving energy can reduce emissions.

We've talked about all the benefits to the environment by recycling, but did you know recycling can also contribute to employment? Well, according to friendsoftheearth.uk, "50,000 new UK jobs could be created by 2025 if we can reach the target of recycling 70% of our waste (it's around 45% now)."

Everyone can recycle. It is not something that is extremely time consuming, nor something that requires a lot of effort. Everyone can start recycling by just buying recycled products in the markets, or throw away waste in recycling bins. The amount of waste and garbage we produce is alarming, unless every individual tries to make a change, no contribution can be made to the environment.