Saving the environment through recycling

Recycling Week is on the week commencing on the 21st of September. During this week recycling campaigns are promoted, as well as charities supporting environmental causes. Recycling has become a part of our daily lives. Whether at home or at the office, recycling is almost always something that we’re reminded to do. Recycling is a big part of saving the environment. The mindfulness of people with regard to separating recyclable and non-recyclable waste is a growing trend worldwide. Unfortunately, in some regions such as the UK, recycling trends have stagnated and even lowered in some respects. Due to this, events to raise awareness and promote recycling are important, so that the barrier we’ve hit as a society can be overcome. To do that, we will explore the benefits of recycling on the environment and even our economy.

Recycling has greatly benefited the environment through the lower amount of waste being put into landfills, thus reducing their size and strain on the environment. With the worldwide population growing the amount of waste humankind generates increases and it is of high importance to limit how much waste we put into landfills as it can go out of control and cause serious harm to the environment. 

Through recycling, we can reuse raw materials that would otherwise be more difficult and less energy efficient to produce. Some resources are more limited than others and it is important we use them to the full extent. Moreover, often time in order to extract the raw materials the natural landscapes are affected negatively. 

The more people are a part of the process of responsible recycling the more beneficial it will be for everyone. Businesses will have access to more materials, which means it would be possible to expand the product lines of sustainable products made from recycled materials. 

There is also the economic effect of recycling. As was said, using recycled materials is easier than producing the materials, which saves money both on extraction but also on resources (eg. energy)  used to obtain the raw materials.
Recycling also offers employment opportunities. In the US, according to the EPA, 757,000 jobs related to recycling and reuse activities are occupied. These jobs account for 36.6 billion USD in wages and 6.7 billion USD in tax revenues. If 70% of waste is recycled in the UK the opportunities for new jobs in the country are upward of 50 000, according to a study by Friends of the Earth.

Recycling not only benefits the environment but also the economy, as seen by these figures. The more people join in on recycling, the more efficient the processes would be and thus greater the fiscal benefits for the governments, businesses and society as a whole.

Become a part of the movement for a more sustainable future. Be a part of saving the environment. Participate in events which promote recycling, talk about the importance of recycling with family, friends, colleagues and local communities and, of course, recycle as much as you can.