Why Is Recycling Important?
The importance of commercial waste recycling is reflected in a recent study that revealed millennials value recycling more than previous generations. One out of ten would quit their job if their employer didn’t promote sustainability or take commercial waste management a top priority. Furthermore, more than half of millennials plan to leave their current employer within two years if they find their employer unsustainable. If your company doesn’t encourage recycling, you could benefit from the new employees and feel they are making a difference.
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Why Is Recycling Important: Raw Materials
One of the most important environmental benefits of commercial waste recycling is reducing the need to mine and refine raw materials. Recycling also reduces the need to destroy natural habitats by preventing the need for new raw materials. Recycling paper, for example, cuts the energy required to produce it from the virgin pulp in half. Recyclable steel saves enough electricity to power a 60-watt bulb for 24 hours, while glass cans require five per cent of the energy to manufacture.
The production of recycled products creates more jobs and income, which benefits our economy. Commercial waste recycling also reduces the need to use energy and raw materials, which is a significant source of environmental pollution. This means fewer power plants, processing facilities, and equipment. Lastly, manufacturers of recycled products use fewer fossil fuels, saving money and enabling them to cut costs on other needs.
Lastly, commercial waste recycling helps preserve our forests and wildlife. The recycling process is a complex system. Although the value of some raw materials can be recovered through the commercial waste recycling process, not all of it is. Some materials are more difficult to recycle than others, and there are problems related to disorganised collection systems and a lack of advanced material separation technologies. In addition, recycled raw materials often have lower value, called downcycling. While recycling is an excellent way to reduce waste, it is not without its challenges.
Recycling codes |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
7 |
PETE |
HDPE |
V |
LDPE |
PP |
|
Polyethylene Terephthalate. |
High Density Polyethylene |
Polyvinyl Chloride |
Low-density Polyethylene |
Polypropylene |
All other plastics |
Why Is Recycling Important: Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
Recycling can save the environment in two different ways. When it’s possible, reducing garbage and recycling can reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills. Recycling also prevents the creation of methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Landfills are the leading source of methane. People can avoid contributing to methane production by recycling food scraps and keeping organic waste from entering landfills. You can look up commercial green waste disposal near me to find out more.
- The greenhouse gas reductions achieved through recycling depend on the material involved, the number of materials recovered, and the mix of fuels avoided.
- Recycling aluminium, for example, is ninety-five per cent less energy-intensive than making the same amount of raw aluminium.
- Project Drawdown has performed reviews of climate solutions and included recycling in its list of recommended measures.
This study studied 80 climate solutions and found that these recommendations’ recycling was below the median. It ranked behind geothermal power, forest protection, and efficient aviation. Another way recycling helps the environment is by conserving natural resources. Recycled paper requires only 65% of the water needed to produce new paper. Recycling paper also saves seventeen trees, which helps slow global warming by trapping carbon dioxide.
This process is the fifth largest industrial user of energy worldwide. Recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions by minimising the production of new paper. So, when you buy paper, you are doing a good thing for the environment.
Why Is Recycling Important: It Creates Jobs
As more waste is diverted from landfills and incinerators, recycling creates jobs. This industry creates about nine jobs as incinerators and landfills combined. In addition, more than 15 million people earn living scavenging for discards. Commercial waste management is a lucrative business! In developing countries, formalising this industry will provide employment and improve sanitary conditions.
- Recycling is also an effective way to address poverty. And as more waste is diverted from landfills, the resulting materials will create jobs in the manufacturing sector.
- Research shows that recycling is an excellent way to save money and the environment.
- Recycling also creates jobs and boosts the economy.
- According to the International Waste Management Association, recycling generates more than £230 billion annually. And over one million people are employed by recycling and reuse companies.
- Recycling creates jobs for people from all walks of life. And the industry creates thousands of new jobs every year.
The European Union has a strong case for recycling, particularly in developed countries. In 2007, recycling contributed to nearly four per cent in employment per capita. In addition to creating jobs, it also relieves pressure on ecosystems that provide resources and assimilate waste. It even meets a substantial share of the demand for certain resource groups. But there’s more. There’s no doubt that recycling creates jobs. If the recycling industry continues to grow, it could create 60 million new jobs.
Why Is Recycling Important: Reduces Energy Usage
Recycled materials are a great way to reduce energy bills and save the environment. Metals, especially aluminium, require 95 per cent less energy to make than raw aluminium, while steel requires 75 per cent less energy than iron. You’ll save energy that would otherwise go to waste in landfills by recycling your waste. And you can recycle many things at once, from your old clothing to your food.
This means less energy waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling products is a great way to save energy, but it also prevents the release of greenhouse gases. Recycling business waste reduces the demand for raw materials by avoiding mining and unused resources. Converting old materials into new products requires much less energy than creating a new product from scratch.
Moreover, recycling materials are more environmentally friendly and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By recycling, you’ll be doing your bit to help the environment. Recycled aluminium cans save almost ninety per cent of energy compared to virgin aluminium, and a ton of recycled aluminium saves 40 barrels of oil and 238 million Btu’s of energy. On the other hand, steel saves about six hundred and forty kilowatt-hours of energy and four cubic yards of landfill space. This makes recycling an excellent choice for saving energy and natural resources.
Why Is Recycling Important: Reduces Air Pollution
Recycling reduces air pollution by reducing the number of things that need to be burned. Recycling also saves energy, cuts greenhouse gas emissions, and improves the aesthetics of the environment. Most communities now have a recycling centre nearby, and some will come to your home. Please don’t waste your items by tossing them in the garbage, or even better, buy used products instead of new ones.
Recycling also reduces air pollution by up to 30 per cent. One ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees, removing about 250 pounds of CO2 annually. In addition, recycling cuts the amount of waste incinerated by 70 per cent. A ton of recycled office paper saves up to four hundred and fifty gallons of water and nearly four thousand kWh of electricity.
Moreover, recycled cardboard saves nine cubic yards of landfill space and reduces air pollution by 74%. As recycling reduces air pollution, it also protects the environment by preventing the release of methane from landfills. Furthermore, it helps preserve forests by preventing the development of virgin resources. Recycling commercial waste creates new products from waste, which helps reduce air pollution and protects our natural resources. We’ll discuss these in more detail later. Once we’ve explored the many benefits of recycling, we can begin to consider a greener future.
Why Is Recycling Important: Reduces Water Pollution
Recycling decreases water pollution by reducing the amount of waste dumped into landfills. Recycling products generates far less pollution than virgin materials. This is because the process of recycling products uses much less water than producing new products from scratch. Furthermore, recycling reduces industrial water pollution by reducing the number of manufactured products.
Over ninety per cent of plastic produced is not recycled, which is a primary enemy of ocean water. In addition to keeping the ocean clean, recycling will also reduce the amount of ‘new’ plastic in circulation. As we all know, wastewater treatment plants release toxic chemicals into water bodies and open lands. These chemical pollutants do not decompose naturally, damaging land and water bodies.
Furthermore, waterborne infectious diseases are spread by contaminated liquids in landfills. This pollution can have devastating effects on ecosystems. The solution to water pollution is efficient water recycling systems. Using wastewater treatment systems to recycle wastewater can save precious water, reducing water pollution and the need for new water.
Why Is Recycling Important: Saves Non-Renewable Resources
Recycling can save up to 48 million tons of fossil fuels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2005. That’s equivalent to 36 million cars! Recycling commercial waste also saves non-renewable resources, such as wood. Without recycling, the demand for wood will increase by 20 per cent by 2010 and 80% by 2040 if no recycling occurs.
Today, ninety-five per cent of our nation’s virgin forests have already been deforested. In the end, recycling can satisfy most of our resource needs. When global needs continue to increase, recycling will become an increasingly important tool for resource conservation. Recycling will save billions of tons of non-renewable resources every year in the long term. But the benefits of recycling are not immediately apparent.
The environmental impact of resource consumption and waste is cumulative. The effects of recycling are far greater than the cost of reducing consumption and waste. The most significant environmental benefit of recycling is saving non-renewable resources. We will use less wood to make new products by recycling paper, wood, and plastic. This reduces the demand for new resources, such as bauxite, mined from tropical forests.
Other recyclable resources are glass and metals, which reduce the need for new mining and processing. Even sand is becoming scarcer, and recycling it can prevent that.
Why Is Recycling Important? – Learn more about UK business waste statistics here
Other useful links from our Commercial Waste Centre
The Benefits of Dry Mixed Recycling
Looking After Your Business Bins
Commercial Skip Hire – How to Find a Cheap Deal
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