Recycling is the practice of taking used materials and melting or using other chemical processes to make them available for for re-use. Recycling reduces the amount of new materials that would be harvested or made; instead, old materials can be re-introduced. Recycling offers plenty of advantages for the environment, including conserving natural resources and reducing the accumulation of waste in landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Recycling Paper Saves Trees and Energy
According to Oberlin College, more than 56 percent of the U.S. population's paper consumption includes recycled paper products. Recycled paper takes about 60 percent less energy to produce than new paper. This energy savings means less greenhouse gases are emitted and less water is used to produce recycled paper products. Recycling paper also saves trees--an estimated 17 mature trees for every ton of paper recycled, according to Oberlin College.
Recycling Has a Circular Effect
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling has three chief steps: collection and processing, manufacturing, and purchasing recycled products. Collecting recycling products involves a person dropping off recycling materials to a recycling center, or a city might support a curbside recycling program in which recycled products are picked up. The products are sorted and sold as a commodity to manufacturing plants. The manufacturing plants then turn these items into a variety of materials--anything from paper to park benches, according to the EPA. The final portion of the circular effect is the purchase of these products. When people or businesses buy recycled products, they are furthering an industry that saves energy and resources. For example, if all U. S. households replaced one roll of non-recycled material toilet paper with a roll of recycled paper, 373,000 trees and 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space could be saved, according to EcoCycle.org.
Glass Is a Never-Ending Recycling Resource
According to Oberlin College, glass can be recycled again and again. In fact, most bottles and jars consist of 25 percent recycled glass. Recycling glass saves a number of natural resources from being used, including sand, soda ash, limestone and feldspar. This reduces mining waste, water use and air pollution, according to Ecocycle.org.
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