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Why Recycle
Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the world in which we live. Recycling is important to both the natural environment and us. We must act fast as the amount of waste we create is increasing all the time.
UK households produced 30.5 million tonnes of waste in 2003/04, of which 17% was collected for recycling. (source: defra.gov.uk) This figure is still quite low compared to some of our neighbouring EU countries, some recycling over 50% fo their waste. There is still a great deal of waste which could be recycled that ends up in landfill sites which is harmful to the environment.
Recycling reduces the demand for raw materials. By recovering materials from old products we are removing or reducing the need to extract yet more raw materials from the earth. This is important because the vast majority of resources that we use in manufacturing products and providing services cannot be replaced. The use of these resources cannot go on indefinitely - we would run out.
Recycling means that we also avoid many of the additional environmental impacts associated with extracting the new resources, manufacturing and distributing the goods. Activities such as mining, quarrying and logging can be environmentally destructive, damaging the natural environment and local wildlife habitats. The processing and transportation activities also add to the environmental impact. Recycling often uses less energy and causes less pollution than using raw materials. For example, the manufacture of bags from recycled rather than virgin polythene reduces energy consumption by two-thirds, produces one-third of the sulphur dioxide and one-half of the nitrous oxide, uses only one-eighth of the water and reduces carbon dioxide generation.
The amount of rubbish we create is constantly increasing because:
Increasing wealth means that people are buying more products and ultimately
creating more waste.
Increasing population means that there are more people on the planet to create
waste.
New packaging and technological products are being developed, much of these
products contain materials that are not biodegradable.
New lifestyle changes, such as eating fast food, means that we create additional
waste that isn’t biodegradable.
Environmental Importance
Recycling is very important as waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment.
- Harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released from rubbish in landfill sites. Recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by waste.
- Habitat destruction and global warming are some the affects caused by deforestation. Recycling reduces the need for raw materials so that the rainforests can be preserved.
- Huge amounts of energy are used when making products from raw materials. Recycling requires much less energy and therefore helps to preserve natural resources.
Importance To People
Recycling is essential to cities around the world and to the people living in them.
- No space for waste. Our landfill sites are filling up fast, by 2010, almost all landfills in the UK will be full.
- Reduce financial expenditure in the economy. Making products from raw materials costs much more than if they were made from recycled products.
- Preserve natural resources for future generations. Recycling reduces the need for raw materials; it also uses less energy, therefore preserving natural resources for the future.
If you're not convinced, read some of the facts below
1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours
1 recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.
70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.
1 recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours.
Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled.
The unreleased energy contained in the average dustbin each year could power a television for 5,000 hours.
The largest lake in the Britain could be filled with rubbish from the UK in 8 months.
On average, 16% of the money you spend on a product pays for the packaging, which ultimately ends up as rubbish.
As much as 50% of waste in the average dustbin could be composted.
Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled.
9 out of 10 people would recycle more if it were made easier.
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