Recycling Matters - Why You Should

The materials you take to the recycling center are sold to companies to make new products out of them. Many products we buy every week contain recycled paper, plastic bags and bottles, glass, metal and cardboard.

Recycling is the process of turning used materials into new ones, reducing waste, as well as reducing the use of energy and raw materials. 

We all benefit from recycling by improving the health of the environment, employing fellow citizens and cutting the landfill bills.

In our area, there are several recycling centers available where the public can drop off paper, metal, clear plastics, glass and cardboard. Our neighborhoods, streets, vacant lots and roadsides are thick with recyclable litter that could be in a bin at the recycling centers to be re-purposed by local industries.

Some statistics may help convince you to make the effort to recycle instead of throwing more into our landfills.

Recycled aluminum requires 95% less natural resources to produce than newly manufactured aluminum. Throwing one beverage can into the landfill is the same as wasting six ounces of gasoline. In one calendar year, 15-millions gallons of gasoline were saved by Americans who recycled aluminum. 

Recycling paper, including newspaper, magazines, packing materials, flour and sugar bags, cardboard, etc., reduces the amount of wood needed to manufacture paper by 80%.

The amount cities, towns and counties spend on landfill can be cut by 50%, saving taxpayers’ money.

Recycling creates four times the number of jobs as other waste disposal methods, including incineration and landfill. Burning trash creates one job, landfill creates 6 jobs, recycling creates up to 34 jobs.

Recycling reduces air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion and loss of wildlife habitat. Make the effort. It’s your world.

For more information, see www.epa.gov, www.nih.gov, www.kab.org and www.sustainabletunsainc.org.