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Loading ...7 reasons to recycle
2 Feb2010
Okay, we are going to finish up our discussion on the basics of consumption this week. The theme is the final R or Recycle. We all know about recycling and most places now have some kind of a program and policies in place for both residential, commercial and manufacturers.
understand the reasons to recycle
Why should we recycle? Often it feels like a burden to recycle. Understanding the reasons why often elude us.
- limited supply - with an increasing population more waste is being created
- extreme demand - consumptive society demands more materials and creates more waste
- conservation - to minimize the impact of harvesting raw materials and destroying habitat of limited natural resources
- energy reduction – recycling uses less energy than the manufacturing of a raw material and therefore reduces carbon emissions (CO2)
- pollution – reduced pollution from waste and manufacturing reduces climate change and toxin exposure
- landfill - the more we recycle, the more we keep from landfill and incinerators saving the environment from toxins leaching into our eco-systems and methane gas escaping into the atmosphere (which is more potent than carbon monoxide)
- money - recycling saves us valuable dollars by producing materials for less
Not having a program in place is all the more reason to reconsider what you should buy? It is also a good time to petition your government, change how you reuse and dispose of items, stretch your item for a little longer, repair it and find creative ways to keep it out of the landfill.
In our next article we will take a quick look at the impact of our waste with some amazing (and frightening) facts. Then we will explore how to make sure we optimize our recycling efforts. After all it’s your planet too.
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- In: trash
- Tags: reasons to recycle
2 Responses to 7 reasons to recycle
Ruth - Web Career Girl
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:37 am
You’re right about it feeling like a burden to recycle sometimes, but I really hate throwing things out into the landfill these days. I just wish companies would be more responsible and package their items in recyclable materials (especially food – I hate all that excess plastic!)
simply stephen
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:55 am
At least in the UK & Europe you have stronger environmental laws that work with the manufacturers to reduce the packaging and waste. Canada is the worst per capita in the world when it comes to waste.
I refuse to buy products that have excessive packaging and quite often spend the time talking to the store manager expressing my concerns about the products they stock. Not enough people do this or they’d change their policies. Packaging and eco responsibility is the primary reason why I try to avoid all corporate manufactured products but it is difficult.
Plastic…I have a surprise this year on plastic. I have slowly been replacing plastic items in the house and avoid food purchases that have it. Not an easy task.