With the spread of global warming, environmental awareness is steadily increasing, and more people are taking steps to introduce eco-friendly behaviors into their lifestyle. A key part of green living involves the recycling of various materials, including plastics and plastic bottles that comprise a large part of plastics recycling. The next time you're tempted to toss your empty water bottle into the trash, consider the benefits that recycling offers to the Earth's environment.
Conserving Energy
One of the primary benefits of recycling plastic bottles is that it helps to conserve the amount of energy used. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, recycling just one plastic bottle can save the amount of energy needed to illuminate a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours. The EPA also estimates that recycling 1 lb. of polyethylene terephthalate, PET, plastic bottles conserves approximately 12,000 BTUs, British thermal unit, of heat energy.
Lower Emissions
The EPA also concludes that creating new materials from recycled plastic use two-thirds less energy than using non-recycled raw materials. This, in turn, reduces the amount of harmful emissions produced by companies that manufacture plastic materials, which decreases the greenhouse effect on the Earth's atmosphere.
Reduced Waste
Recycling plastic bottles also reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills every year. According to the EPA, recycling just 1 ton of plastic material saves the approximately 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. The EPA also estimates that plastic materials can take up to 500 years to decompose, meaning they continue to take up space in landfills long after they've been disposed of.
Conservation of Resources
Plastic bottles are made from petroleum-based products and oil is a fossil fuel with a limited supply that is constantly in high demand. According to the American Chemistry Council, recycling 1 ton of plastic bottles saves the approximate equivalent of 3.8 barrels of oil. By recycling existing plastic bottles to create new plastic materials, it reduces the need for oil, which is a nonrenewable natural resource.
Reusability
While plastic bottles can be recycled to make new plastic bottles, they can also be used to create a wide variety of other plastic materials. According to Earth911.com, plastic bottles can be recycled for use as park benches, plastic lumber, plastic piping, carpeting, filler material for clothing or bedding, playground equipment, furniture, plastic utensils, children's toys, fleece material, packaging materials, detergent bottles, grocery bags, toothbrushes, sporting goods or railroad ties.
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