The process of converting waste materials into new, useful products. Recycling is a great way to conserve natural resources and protect the environment, and it saves energy because producing goods from recycled materials uses less energy than manufacturing from raw materials.
The best reason to recycle is that it prevents valuable materials from being sent to landfills or incinerators. Landfills release methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and incinerators emit harmful chemicals. Recycling reduces the need for these facilities, and helps to avoid the “not in my backyard” community opposition to waste disposal sites that often accompanies their construction.
Recycling also cuts down on the need to harvest or extract fresh, non-renewable natural resources such as timber and sand. This conserves natural landscapes and wildlife, reduces the risk of damaging mining operations, and limits the pollution caused by the transport and processing of raw materials.
Many communities have programs that allow citizens to bring sorted waste materials to buy-back centres, drop-off centres or curbside collection points for recycling. The materials are collected, cleaned and processed before they’re made into new products. When it comes to the items people put into their recycling bins, there’s a common misconception that food residue ruins recyclable material, but this is not the case. It’s important to remember that metal bottle caps should be kept on plastic bottles or containers, and that cables attached to electronics like chargers and USB cords should not be included in recycling because they pose a safety risk for workers.