Recycling is not just something that tree hugging hippies and homeless cart pushers do. Recycling is something that should be common sense and universally done. Why is this, you might ask? Because there are a wide range of benefits for both society and the environment in recycling human waste. These benefits go far beyond just taking things out of the waste stream and saving space.
Top 7 Reasons to Recycle Conservation: Conserving space, resources, and energy are major benefits to recycling. Recycling keeps things out of landfills, conserving space for those things that cannot be recycled or composted. Recycling conserves resources like trees, coal, ores, gas, water, and limestone. Recycling conserves energy, because making new products from old ones can be done 1/20th the electricity. Waste Reduction: Fewer carbon emissions, less trash, less acid rain. Reducing the flow of human waste to the landfill means fewer hauls to the site, less chance of dangerous chemicals leeching out, and overall less emissions. Recycling just a 3rd of the trash produced in the United States is the same as not burning 10 billion gallons of gas in our cars. Ecological Protection: Recycling eliminates major sources of pollution. Both groundwater and air quality can be dramatically improved through recycling. Rainwater running through buried landfill trash can leech toxins into the local water supply. Using virgin resources to create products uses more energy and water while releasing more toxins into the air than recycled resources do. Protecting the environment through recycling preserves ecological niches and protects endangered species. It also can be a major factor to reducing global warming. Extra Personal Income: Recycling electronics, aluminium, and other packaging or papers can be a source of extra personal income. This applies to ink cartridges from printers, old PDA’s, cell phones, laptops, and other devices too. Different companies offer cash or gift cards so check around and see how you can make some money on something you were going to toss out. Extra Community Income: Curbside recycling not only creates jobs in the community, but often are self-supporting due to the recycling of cans and other products. Some communities even turn a profit from their recycling programs. Stronger Community Involvement: Getting behind the neighborhood recycling program is a great way to start increased connections with those around you, for both volunteer recycling programs and those run by disposal pickup. If your community lacks recycling now, you can spearhead involvement and start something great. Stronger National Economy: Recycling creates jobs with a higher level of pay than standard entry level jobs, not only that but every 10,000 tons of waste recycled creates 36 jobs. When you combine this with the reduction of energy use making those jobs less costly to have you create a stronger overall economy, with higher property values, stronger businesses, and higher demand for recycled products.
Clearly there are major benefits to recycling. Not only has there been great innovation because of the need to recycle, but what has been done saves a lot of air and water pollution while making jobs for average Americans. Between the reduction of costly energy use and better efficiency through recycling it is no wonder that this single deed can do much to increase the strength of the economy.