What are the advantages of waste prevention through recycling?
Recycling is a form of waste management that involves converting waste and other used materials into reusable products. Instead of being taken to a landfill to sit and rot the Earth for years to come, it gets singled out and repurposed for another use. Recycling helps to reduce energy usage, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce air pollution, and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for “conventional” waste disposal and also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Some of the waste that can be recycled through Westerns Macedonia’s waste management system include:
Used oils (orange bin): The cooked oil form households
Plastic (light blue bin): Which include water bottles, plastic bags, plastic wrappers, and rubber bags
Glass (yellow bin): Glass products that can be recycled include wine and beer bottles and broken glasses
Paper (dark blue bin): Such as magazines, newspapers, books, envelopes and cardboard boxes
Metals (red bin): Like the empty tomato, soda, and fruit cans.
Biowaste (brown bin): Food waste from households, restaurants, catering etc
Advantages of recycling
1. Recycling minimizes pollution
All forms of pollution in the modern world emanate from industrial waste. Recycling of these industrial wastes such as plastics, cans, and chemicals go a long way towards considerably cutting back on levels of pollution because these waste products are reused rather than just being thrown away recklessly. The less waste we throw onto the planet, the cleaner and safer it will be for future generations to come.
2. Reduce energy consumption
As humans, our demand for energy is ever-increasing. This continues to be the case as more countries are being modernized and introduced to the wonderful world of technology. Recycling plays its part in the green energy debate by reducing the amount of energy required to manufacture certain products. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions generated by the manufacturing process and lowers global energy consumption. A lot of energy is used to process raw materials in the course of manufacture. Recycling plays a big role in reducing energy consumption, which is vital for large-scale production, for instance, mining and refining. Recycling also renders the whole process of production less expensive, which is a great victory for manufacturers.
3. Protects the environment
Recycling protects the environment as it is considered environmentally friendly. For example, the Amazon rain forest continues to be bulldozed over in record amounts due to our needs for more paper products. The great benefit of recycling waste material is that it plays a big part in protecting Mother Nature in the most balanced way. While many trees are felled every day, recycled paper manufactured from specific trees is continually utilized to reduce deforestation. This classical example demonstrates that other natural resources can be recycled and made useful this way to conserve the environment.
4. Conserves natural resources
Sooner or later, the Earth is going to run out of raw materials. It might not be for a long while, but the concern is still there. If the process of recycling used and old materials was not there, it means new products will be manufactured by the extraction of fresh raw materials underneath the earth through the process of mining and extraction. Recycling is a surefire way of conserving existing raw materials and protecting them for future use. Taking steps to conserve natural resources like minerals, water, and wood ensure sustainable and optimal use.
5. Minimize global warming
Global warming continues to be a heated debate topic across the planet. It has already mentioned above one way that recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The other way is by reducing the amount of waste that’s burned when it’s time to clear some space. Burning piles of waste lead to toxic emissions, which accelerates the rate at which our planet is warming up. The recycling process involves minimal combustion and waste is transformed into reusable materials with zero or minimal harmful impact on the environment. The whole process of processing and manufacturing products from waste materials emits few greenhouse gases because the very waste recycling industries burn little fossil fuels.
6. Reduces landfill waste
Recycling used products mean less trash into landfills. This is a very good thing since landfills slowly destroy the natural environment, which we don’t want to keep growing. This is beneficial because it helps minimize land and water pollution since landfills contribute mightily to environmental degradation. Already existing recycling programs prevent tons of waste from being dumped into landfills each year, and they’re only getting better.
7. Recycling ensures sustainable use of resources
Recycling guarantees that existing resources will be used sensibly and sustainably. The recycling process alleviates the possibility of discriminate against the use of raw materials when they are obtainable in huge supply. Governments these days have stepped in to encourage recycling from lower levels, for instance, schools, small-sized organizations, and also at global levels. This means that manufacturing industries can leave existing natural resources for exploitation by our children in the future without affecting current production.
8. Recycling contributes to the creation of jobs
To add to the benefits it brings to the environment; recycling opens up job opportunities. Recycling means many recycling plants will be set up, thus, leading to a long chain of collection and delivery. All these activities are performed by humans, so this will trigger an explosion of opportunities.
Sources:
Advantages and Disadvantages of Recycling
Advantages & Disadvantages of Recycling
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the participating countries and the Managing Authority.