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Why recycling is important
From all environmental issues, recycling has the highest priority in the US. More than 24% of the total waste produced gets recycled. This percentage is unprecedented and the highest recycling percentage in the western world. Considering the fact that the US also produces the largest amount of waste this is normal. Many advantages come from recycling in economical and environmental areas.
In the US, job creation received a major boost from the recycling industry which led to strong economical developments. More than 1 million jobs were created by the recycling industry in 2000, which meant a yearly pay in wages of 37 billion dollars. For every 10,000 tons of recycled material, 37 jobs become available. Needless to say that this industry creates many jobs and is therefore essential to the economy of the United States.
Besides the economical aspects, recycling also contributes to preventing global climate changes and reducing emissions that come from the creation of new products from raw materials. Greenhouse gas emissions are a natural phenomenon, and are vital to sustaining the earth, but in high concentrations they cause an increase in global temperatures. When temperatures rise, so do the sea levels due to the melting of the polar ice caps. Recycling is one of man's best means to prevent these changes from happening.
Manufacturing products out of recycled materials requires much less resources than creating them from raw materials. This means that in order to produce the same amount of products much less fossil fuel is burned. These reductions can go as high as 70% depending on the material that is recycled. With less fossil fuels being used, less carbon dioxide is being pumped into the air decreasing the concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere.
Recycling is also an important factor in keeping nature free from manufactured products that can take up to 1 million years to break down depending on what type of materials the product was made of. While decomposing these products also release methane gas which is another type of greenhouse gas only much more dangerous to the environment than carbon dioxide. To put this into perspective the landfills containing solid waste contribute up to 34% of the greenhouse gas emissions that are attributed to US citizens.
Incinerating products instead of recycling them also emits gas into the atmosphere. By recycling those materials instead these emissions can be prevented.
Trees are important for combating the effects of global warming as they absorb carbon dioxide and store it in the wood. Recycling paper would spare the trees. 1 ton of recycled paper saves 24 trees from being cut down.
subsections under this page will include:
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waste |
waste management industries. collection, transport and processing of waste |
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household |
aspects of recycling at home. Recycling Centres. household items and materials that can be recycled |
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electrical |
recycling Electrical Goods. Mobile phones. Computers, electronic equipment. |
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