National Recycling Day
Today is National Recycling Day! Let’s get recycling!
National Recycling Day was created to encourage the purchase of recycled products. It’s also a day to be aware of the importance of separating waste to ensure that recyclable materials can be used in the manufacture of new products.
What is recycling?
Whether it’s plastic, paper, or aluminum, the products and materials that can be used after they fulfill their original purpose have great recycling value. It is estimated that up to 75% of all the waste can be recycled or repurposed, a figure that shows how impactful the process can be if done right. Almost everything we see around us can be recycled, although different materials require different techniques when they are recycled. Most of the commonly recyclable materials include batteries, biodegradable waste, clothing, electronics, garments, glass, metals, paper, plastics, and a lot more.
Recycling the process of separating, collecting, and remanufacturing/converting used products into new materials. Recycling helps extend the life and usefulness of something that has already served its initial purpose by returning it to its raw materials and then using those materials to produce something that is useable. It’s part of the three golden rules of sustainability (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) and has a lot of benefits both to us humans and to the environment. Virtually all the planet is impacted by how much we recycle.
Fun Fact: Cardboard (also known as corrugated) boxes can be recycled at least seven times and can be used to make new packaging boxes and even furniture.
Why we recycle:
The world’s natural resources are finite, and some are in very short supply. At a fundamental level, recycling paper and wood can save trees and forests; recycling plastic means creating less new plastic; recycling metals means there’s less need for mining; and recycling glass reduces the use of new raw materials like sand. Of course, the reality of it is much more complex, but the fundamental process is valid nonetheless. Metals, for instance, are repeatedly recyclable, while maintaining most or all of their properties.
Recycling reduces the need to grow, harvest, or extract new raw materials from the Earth. That, in turn, reduces the harmful disruption and damage being done to the natural world, which means fewer forests cut down, rivers diverted, wild animals harmed or displaced, and less pollution.
It’s also much better to recycle existing products than to damage someone else’s community or land in the search for new raw materials. The demand for new goods has led to more of the poorest and most vulnerable people being displaced from their homes or otherwise exploited.
Making products from recycled materials typically requires less energy than making them from new raw materials — sometimes it’s a huge difference in energy. For example, producing new aluminum from old products uses 95% less energy than making it from scratch. For steel, it’s about a 70% energy saving. While not always, manufacturing something the second time around usually consumes far less energy.
Because recycling means you need to use less energy on sourcing and processing new raw materials, it produces lower carbon emissions, which means it can help with global warming. It also keeps potentially methane-releasing waste out of landfill sites. Overall, reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere is vital to stop climate change.
Fun Fact: The United States annually recycles enough iron and steel scrap metals (known as ferrous scrap), by weight, to build more than 900 Golden Gate Bridges — a bridge stretching nearly 9,000 feet.
Ways you can recycle:
Recycling includes three essential steps. The first one is to actually collect the recyclables, which can be done in different ways (for example, they can be collected from the curbside, dropped-off at centers or gathered through deposit or refund programs).
Following the collection, recyclables are sent to a recovery facility. They are classified, cleaned and processed into materials that can be used in manufacturing. Recyclables are then bought and sold just like raw materials would be, and prices go up and down depending on supply and demand.
A growing number of products are being manufactured with recycled content. Common household items that contain recycled materials are newspapers, steel cans, plastic laundry detergents and soft drink containers. Recycled materials are also used in new ways such as recovered glass in asphalt to pave roads.
You can help close the recycling loop by buying new products made from recycled materials. There are thousands of products that contain recycled content. When you go shopping, look for products that can be easily recycled and products that contain recycled content.
Here is a great video to watch about recycling:
Tips for recycling:
Make sure it’s clean! One single dirty product can contaminate an entire bale. It can ultimately cause recyclable items to get redirected into a landfill.
Flatten cardboard. This will save space in your bin and make room for more recycling.
Set up designated recycling containers at home, work, and school.
Look for products made out of recycled materials when you shop.
Identify which types of plastic your building and neighborhood will accept.
Before you recycle, think about reducing your waste and re-using items in a new way.
Local artists and schools might be able to use your materials for their work and classes.
Spread the word! Encourage others to recycle with you.