Recycling

“We are just 20% percent of the world, but we consume 80% of the world’s resources.” Michele Raymond from Raymond Communication Inc.

Recycling has environmental benefits at every stage in the life cycle of a consumer product—from the raw material with which it’s made to its final method of disposal. Aside from reducing GHG emissions, which contribute to global warming, recycling also reduces air and water pollution associated with making new products from raw materials. By utilizing used, unwanted, or obsolete materials as industrial feedstock or for new materials or products, we can each do our part to make recycling work.
Nationally, we recycled 85 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste. This provides an annual benefit of 193 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions reduced, comparable to removing the emissions from 35 million passenger cars. But the ultimate benefits from recycling are cleaner land, air, and water, overall better health, and a more sustainable economy.

 

Get a Recyling Starting Kit

 

 

Find your Closest Recyling Center

Interesting Facts About Recycling

Find Out Which Plastics You Can Recyle in Your County

Ways to Prevent Global Warming

 

 

Why Should I Recycle?

  

 

Paper Facts

 

 

 

  

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Conserves Natural Resources

Natural resources are riches provided courtesy of Mother Nature. Natural resources include land, plants, minerals, and water. By using materials more than once, we conserve natural resources. In the case of paper, recycling saves trees and water. Making a ton of paper from recycled stock saves up to 17 trees and uses 50 percent less water.

What Can I do?

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

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Fact: Paper industry is the top world cause of deforestation allowing Earth to lose an acre of tropical forest every second.

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Reduces Pollution

Recycling can reduce a range of pollutants from entering the air and water. By decreasing the need to extract and process new raw materials from the earth, recycling can eliminate the pollution associated with the initial stages of a product's development: material extraction, refining and processing. These activities pollute the air, land and water with toxic materials, such as ammonia, carbon monoxide, methane, and sulfur dioxides. Read More

 

  

 

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Fact: Every ton of mixed paper recycled can save the energy equivalent of 185 gallons of gasoline.

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Saves Energy

Energy savings are a very important environmental benefit of recycling, because using energy requires the consumption of scarce fossil fuels and emissions of numerous air and water pollutants. The steps in supplying recycled materials to industry (including collection, processing and transportation) typically use less energy than the steps in supplying virgin materials to industry (including extraction, refining, and transportation and processing). Tips on Saving Energy

  

 

 

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Fact:The Sunday newspaper in the U.S. wastes about 500,000 trees

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Saves Landfill Space

Recycling allows us to prevent a need to build more landfill. Landfills are a source of continuous contamination to underground water and soil, because their hazardous materials eventually seep out. They contain serious biohazards and breeding ground for deadly diseases. Furthermore, landfills take up precious space and decrease nearby property values. Landfills are the largest contributor to methane gas emissions to the atmosphere -- which is the greatest contributor to climate change. 

  

 

 

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Fact:Worldwide, over 95 million metric tons of paper are recovered each year to be made into recycled paper and paperboard. Recovered fiber makes up over one-third of the total fiber used to make the world’s paper.

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Green House Emissions and Global Climate Change Reduction

By reducing the amount of energy used by industry, recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps prevent global climate change. This is because much of the energy used in industrial processes and in transportation involves burning fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and coal, which are the largest sources of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. Additional benefits are derived from reduced emissions from incinerators and landfills. Quick Tips for Home

 

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Fact:In the case of paper, recycling saves trees and water. Making a ton of paper from recycled stock saves up to 17 trees and uses 50 percent less water.

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What Can I do? – 3 Simple Steps

Reduce

  • don't buy heavily packed goods
  • buy 'loose' food rather than pre-packaged
  • stop junk mail and faxes.
  • cancel delivery of unwanted newspapers, donate old magazines to waiting rooms
  • use your own shopping bags when visiting the supermarket or use the doorstep delivery service
  • grow your own vegetables. Many varieties can be grown in small gardens
  • use a nappy laundry service, and save disposable ones for holidays and long journeys
  • take a packed lunch to work or school in a reusable plastic container


Reuse

  • reuse carrier bags.
  • reuse scrap paper for writing notes, etc
  • reuse envelopes - stick labels over the address
  • rent or borrow items you don't use very often - e.g. party decorations and crockery. Some supermarkets hire out glasses for parties, saving on disposable cups
  • donate old computer and audio visual equipment to community groups or schools
  • buy rechargeable items instead of disposable ones e.g. batteries and cameras
  • buy things in refillable containers e.g. washing powders
  • buy concentrated products which use less packaging
  • take old clothes and books to charity shops, or have a car boot sale
  • look for long lasting (and energy efficient) appliances when buying new electrical items - ensure these are well-maintained to increase product life cycle


Recycle

  • choose products in packaging which you know can be recycled
  • Compost - lots of kitchen waste can be composted. Contact your local council for details of local composting schemes and details of any compost bin sales. buy products made from recycled materials. Most supermarkets now stock a wide range of these items.
  • Find out where your nearest recycling facilities are and recycle many items.

 

Home: Quick ways to reducing Global warming:

  • Turn off items in the house when you are not using them (lights, T.V., DVD player, Computer, Printers etc.)

  • Turn down central heating and A/C by at least 1 - 2 degrees

  • Turn down the water heater about 2 degrees (you’ll notice a savings)

  • Make sure to adjust the central heating and A/C for times when you leave the house. No need to pay and use when you are at work.

  • Only use dishwasher and washing machine when you have a full load.

It's easy to reduce your waste!    ● Buy less ● Buy reusable ● Buy in bulk ● Buy quality ● Buy concentrates●

 

Saba Saghir takes full responsibility for the information posted. The information on this page represents that of Saba Saghir and not that of California State University