Why does recycling important

Recycling is Important Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the world in which we live. The amount of rubbish we create is constantly increasing because: Increasing wealth means that people are buying more products and ultimately creating more waste. Increasing population means that there are more people on the planet to create waste. New packaging and technological products are being developed, much of these products contain materials that are not biodegradable.

Environmental Importance Recycling is very important as waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment. Harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released from rubbish in landfill sites. The San Diego County Office of Education has figured out that recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a watt light bulb for four hours. The Steel Recycling Institute has found that steel recycling saves enough energy to electrically power the equilvalent of 18 million homes for a year.

With all the energy that is saved when we recycle bottles and cans and paper, we should all recycle and buy recycled more often! A: The amount of lost energy from throwing away recyclable commodities such as aluminum cans and newspapers is equivalent to the annual output of 15 power plants. The energy savings applies to all recycling sectors:. One ton of recycled aluminum saves 14, kilowatt hours Kwh of energy, 40 barrels of oil, One ton of recycled newsprint saves Kwh of energy, 1.

Office Paper. One ton of recycled office paper saves 4, Kwh of energy, 9 barrels of oil, 54 million BTU's of energy, 60 pounds of air pollutants from being released, 7, gallons of water, and 3.

One ton of recycled plastic saves 5, Kwh of energy, One ton of recycled steel saves Kwh of energy, 1. One ton of recycled glass saves 42 Kwh of energy, 0. As you can see, by recycling you are saving energy in addition to conserving resources and reducing pollution! A: Last year alone, recycling bottles and cans saved enough energy to power up to , homes in California. Energy drinks are all the rage, and in recent years beverages that invigorate consumers have flooded the marketplace.

What many people might not realize is that the same bottles and cans that provide them with energy beverages could actually save the kind of energy needed to power their homes and televisions. How much energy? In , the 12 billion bottles and cans recycled by Californians saved the equivalent of enough energy to power up to , homes, according to CalRecycle calculations. It takes 95 percent less energy to make an aluminum can from recycled aluminum than from processing bauxite ore, and glass furnaces can run at lower temperatures when using recycled glass, thereby saving energy and extending equipment life.

To help Californians find the recycling bin instead of the trash can, CalRecycle has some simple tips for bottle and can recycling:. Hold onto your empty beverage containers until you find a recycling bin. Keep an extra bag or box in your car so that you can collect your beverage containers without having them roll around in your car.

Set up a separate bag or box for recyclable beverage containers only. Later, redeem them for cash or put them in your curbside recycling bin. For more information about this press release and other CRV beverage container recycling related programs, please contact the CalRecycle. Electronics and tech products also have their own category for recycling, which forces people to have to separate them from other recycling. To top it all off, some plastics are completely non-recyclable. Otherwise, that material only serves one purpose before it ends up in a landfill long-term where it will not break down.

If waste is not recycled, it can negatively impact our environment in many ways. Waste can emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and, therefore, climate change.

Non-recycled waste can contribute to air pollution, water pollution, and put animal lives and human lives at risk. Alternatively, if we recycle, we can significantly reduce the amount of pollution our waste creates, according to Recycling-Guide.

Recycling is also crucial because of how waste can impact animals and consequently, humans because, you know, food chain. When animals — and other biological organisms — lose their habitats, they can die off or starve. Recycling also means using materials that have already been used, rather than creating new raw materials.

Since raw materials often come from our most important forests, like rainforests for example, recycling can cut back on the need for raw materials. Raw materials could also include natural resources like timber, water, and minerals. When we cut back on new materials, we can preserve natural habitats, forests, rainforests, and give the Earth a chance to grow and heal. Energy is another reason why recycling is so necessary.

Conserving natural resources The world's natural resources are finite, and some are in very short supply. At a fundamental level: Recycling paper and wood saves trees and forests. Yes, you can plant new trees, but you can't replace virgin rainforest or ancient woodlands once they're lost. Recycling plastic means creating less new plastic , which is definitely a good thing, especially as it's usually made from fossil fuel hydrocarbons.

Recycling metals means there's less need for risky, expensive and damaging mining and extraction of new metal ores. Recycling glass reduces the need to use new raw materials like sand — it sounds hard to believe, but supplies of some types of sand are starting to get low around the world.

Even recycled plastic is still plastic, at the end of the day. Sustainable living tips. Sustainable living. Related stories. Ways to donate.