There are many reasons to recycle. Aside from simply trying to do the right thing and not be wasteful of natural resources and energy, here are some other reasons.
Reduce Landfill Waste
Perhaps the most important is to slow down the rate at which we are filling the earth with our trash. At the rate things are going, we will soon run out of room. If everyone recycled, we would save energy and some of the earth’s precious resources. Aside from reducing the amount of trash put out on the curb every week, many people participate in Hampton Roads residential recycling programs.
Paper
The more paper we recycle, the less we need to produce. The fewer trees we cut down for paper, the cleaner our air will be. There will be fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Recycled paper uses about 60% less energy and about half as much water as making new pulp. Making paper requires chlorine, a toxic chemical.
Energy
It takes less energy to create recycled plastic and aluminum, among others, than it does to create it from scratch. The less energy we use, the fewer fossil fuels we use to create power.
Green Products
Many recycled items now go into making recycled products rather than going into the landfill. Aluminum foil, paper and plastic are just a few examples of recycled products. In fact, there are companies that create “new” products out of completely recycled items. For example, one uses sawdust, straw, bamboo, rubber and plastic to create a material that can be molded into other products. They create goods such as decorative interior designs, door panels. By recycling, consumers create material for companies that are trying to create green products.
Employment
The more people recycle, the more jobs are created in the recycling industry. As a snapshot, just in Hampton Roads, recycling removal has created many jobs. As we continue our recycling efforts, employment of workers nationwide will increase in this industry. Workers are needed in the recycling centers themselves. In recycling alone, workers are used to pick up the recyclables, run sorting machines, package up the materials and turn them into recycled material. Think of the far-reaching effects of the industry nationwide.