Recycling might sound pretty simple. Just throw some paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, or other recyclable material and POOF! They turn into brand-new, usable items. Well, no. It’s much more complicated than that.
The Main Process
First, the recyclable scraps will need to be collected. We use those recognizable blue bins to do that. After the recyclables go into the bin, several methods of transferring the items to recycling facilities will occur (drop-off, pickup, etc.). When the recyclables arrive at the recycling plants, they are sorted into different groups (paper, plastic, metals, etc.), and then sorted more specifically into each of their groups. After that, they are washed, cleaned, and processed into useful pieces that can be bought by companies as raw materials.
Why Recycle?
Recycling is one of the best and easiest ways to conserve natural resources and help make a better and cleaner Earth. Recycling helps to reduce landfills, which reduces the amount of pollution in the world. Recycling even helps the economy. EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) states that recycling creates “1.17 jobs per 1,000 tons of materials recycled and $65.23 in wages and $9.42 in tax revenue for every ton of materials recycled.” Recycling can also improve the lives of many living around the world, reducing health issues, and making the world healthier.
Challenges of Recycling
The main problem with recycling is that many people are not educated about how and what to recycle. People might not know that aluminum is recyclable, or they might throw something like water into the recycling bin, contaminating the recyclables. Another problem is that there is not that much demand for recycled products. Many companies think recycled items are like used items that cost just as much as new items and refuse to buy them. Recycling is also expensive, and many places can’t afford it.
Related Articles:
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics-and-benefits
https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2022/02/04/challenges-recycling
https://www.recyclingbin.com/The-Recycling-Process
https://www.britannica.com/science/recycling
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-do-i-recycle-common-recyclables
Take Action:
https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/america-recycles-day
