Recycling 101

Recycling Basics

Recycling is the process of taking used materials and reconstituting them for reuse. For example, used aluminum, a commonly recycled material, is melted and re-shaped to form new cans, tins, etc. Recycling is useful because it allows manufacturers to use already-produced materials instead of having to mine and smelt more ore, melt more silica to glass, or cut down more trees for wood pulp. Unfortunately, some otherwise recyclable materials are not collected in every community, so materials that could be reused are thrown away instead. In addition to environmental benefits, recycling also has economic benefits. In the United States, the recycling industry employs 681,000 people, produces $37.8 billion in wages and contributes $5.5 billion in tax revenue as of 2016. This means that each 1,000 tons of recycled material creates 1.17 jobs, and each ton produces $65.23 in wages and $9.42 in taxes.

Recyclable Materials

• Aluminum
• Some plastics
• Paper and cardboard
• Steel
• Glass
• https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics

Recycling Methods

There are many different materials that can be recycled. Food waste and yard waste, for example, can be composted, creating fertile new soil. Metals, plastics, glass, and other materials can also be recycled. Recycling has many benefits. Firstly, reusing materials prevents them from going to landfills. Second, it saves energy and resources by reusing them instead of having to produce new ones. The amount of energy it can save can be great; recycling an aluminum can instead of mining the resources to make a new one uses 95% less energy. Recycling presents challenges, however. Certain materials, like paper, cannot be recycled indefinitely. In addition, paper recycling produces toxic waste from removing the ink that must be dealt with.