Recycling facts
Recycling can be defined as a process of creating some new items from old and used material. This way we can reduce the energy and potentially useful things can be used again. It is a waste disposal hierarchy- Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle. The most recycled item is aluminium cans. They can be recycled and reused in just about 2 months. If you will leave aluminium can, it can stay in the same form for more than 500 years. Some other raw materials like: – plastic, paper, metal, glass etc. can also be recycled.
One hundred years ago, there were no landfills or garbage trucks. People, especially in rural areas, had to deal with their own waste. Sometimes they burned it or buried it. More often, they tried to reduce waste by reusing items until they were worn out. We can learn from the people that lived before us. Reusing and recycling is just one way of protecting the planet.
Fast Facts: –
- Aluminium can be recycled over and over again. There is no limit how many times you can recycle it.
- We will have to cut down half a million trees just to produce Sunday newspapers every week.
- We can conserve our natural resources like- oil, gas and coil by recycling.
- Recycling of 1000 pounds of newspaper can help to save 8 trees, 200 gallons of oil and many other useful resources.
- Recycling lowers down the level of air pollution.
- About half of the trash that ends in the dustbin could be recycled.
- A glass bottle takes about 4000 years to decompose while glass is 100% recyclable.
- If we recycle one ton of plastic, it can save around 1200 gallons of gasoline.
- Recycling is one of the most effective ways to reduce pollution and waste. Currently in the U.S., only 22 percent of waste is recycled. If that amount increased to 75 percent, it would have the same effect as taking 55 million cars off the road.
- Every hour, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles, but recycling just one ton of plastic bottles saves the same amount of energy as the energy a two person household uses in a whole year.
- Recycling aluminum cans can save a lot of energy. In fact, it takes 95 percent less water and energy to recycle a can than to manufacture a new one.
- Most Americans will use 25,000 aluminum cans in their lifetime.
- Recycling paper saves trees and forests. Recycling just one stack of newspaper 3 feet tall saves one tree.
- Glass can be recycled over and over again, making it one of the most versatile materials.
- Most products are shipped in cardboard boxes, which creates a lot of waste. Fortunately, over 80 percent of companies recycle their boxes.
- Up to 50 percent of food is wasted. This food can be composted or fed to animals.
Questions and Answers
Question: What can I do to help?
Answer: Talk to your parents and teachers about starting a recycling program in your home and school if you’re not already. Try to avoid single-use plastic cups and plates and look for solutions. For example, take a metal water bottle with you when you go out to eat. Ask the store owner to put your drink in the bottle.
Learn More
Discover all the things that can be recycled.
