Why do we need to recycle?

Accumulation of waste has been a global issue for decades. If the landfill is allowed to accumulate at a swift rate, humans may run out of locations to bury the synthetic waste, or the waste might bring devastating effects to the environment, some of which are currently happening through global warming.

Recycling reduces the land, water and air pollution that is caused by discarded or burnt waste, meaning that the water we drink and the air we breathe and the land we live on is safer and healthier. Recycling reduces our reliance on increasingly scarce natural resources and raw materials when manufacturing new products. It takes less energy to recycle used materials than it brings down the prices of products.

The modern day has seen increased social pressure to embrace more eco-friendly practices. This has forced companies to search for innovative technologies to incorporate recycled materials into their line of products. The new technologies are best for Mother Nature.

Recycling and reuse

The basic phases in recycling are the collection of waste materials, their processing or manufacture into new goods and the purchase of those products, which may go on to be recycled themselves. Typical materials that are recycled include iron and steel, scrap aluminium cans, glass bottles, paper, wood, and plastics. The materials reused in recycling serve as substitutes for raw materials obtained from such increasingly scarce natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, coal, mineral ores, and trees. Recycling can help reduce the volume of solid waste deposited in landfills, which have become increasingly expensive. Recycling also reduces the pollution of air, water, and land.

The steps involved in the process before recycling include:

• Collection of waste from doorsteps, commercial places, etc.
• Collection of waste from community dumps.
• Collection of waste from final disposal sites.

Most of the garbage generated in the household can be recycled or reused.