Recycle
In this sectionWhat is recycling? |
Recycling
Recycling is the most well known of the 3Rs (see waste hierarchy). However recycling is less beneficial than Reduce or Reuse.
Recycling has negative aspects; because everything we recycle needs to be collected, transported and reprocessed to make new products. This takes energy and can produce pollution.
Whilst recycling may not the best thing we can do, it is still generally better to recycle than send our rubbish to landfill sites.
What is recycling?
The term recycling is often used for rubbish that is either recycled or composted.
Recycling is turning ‘waste’ into a new product.
When local authorities report recycling rates, this will include the total amount of rubbish that has been sent for reprocessing in to new products rather than sent to landfill. This could be through household recycling schemes (such as recycling boxes or bins) or composting schemes (such as food or garden waste collections).
Some waste treatments, including Energy from Waste (EfW) do not contribute to a recycling rate; however they do help meet legislation because they reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill.
What’s so good about recycling?
Legislation is one of the major reasons we recycle. All EU countries have recycling targets and limits on the amount of waste that can be sent to landfill.
However, recycling also has a number of other benefits including;
1) Environment
When we recycle, we save energy. This is because making products from recycled materials, uses less energy than making products from raw materials.
When we recycle we reduce pollution. This is because it takes a great deal of energy to make materials from raw materials compared to making things from recycled materials. We also reduce pollution when we compost, because organic waste in landfill sites produces methane.
When we recycle we reduce harm to habitats. This is because recycling reduces the need to mine (or extract) so many raw materials from environments around the world.
2) Cost
When we recycle, we reduce our waste disposal costs. This is because the cost of burying waste in landfill sites is increasing rapidly. This means that recycling will become a cheaper option than landfill in the coming years.
When we recycle we can earn money. This is because some things we recycle are worth money. Councils can sell the recycling and use the money toward the costs of recycling collections.
When we recycle, we can avoid fines and penalties. This is because Councils need to reduce the amount they send to landfill. If they do not meet targets, they could be fined.
3) Employment
When we recycle, we need to employ more people. This is because we need extra people to collect, sort and process the recycling. Recycling businesses also employ people to turn the recyclables into new products.
When we recycle there is a greater need for innovation and industry. This is because once something has been recycled; it needs to compete with other products on the marketplace. Recycled milk bottles turned into park benches is just one example!
4) Social
When we recycle people feel good. This is because of the other benefits shown on this page. When people feel good, they tend to care about things more, such as the environment (local or global)
When we recycle we can benefit the local community through something called the Recycling Credits Scheme. This scheme helps communities earn money when they recycle things from their local community.
What’s not so good about recycling?
Legislation is one of the main reasons we recycle, despite the many positive reasons for doing it. There are a number of main reasons why recycling is not all good, including;
1) Cost
When we recycle, it costs us money. This is because until recently, it has generally been cheaper to send things to landfill than recycle. Because the cost of landfill is increasing, the costs are now becoming similar.
2) Pollution
When we recycle, we often produce additional pollution. This is because we use collection schemes that use vehicles specifically for that use. These vehicles produce emissions for the collection and delivery of recyclables for reprocessing. Distances for recyclables are generally greater than for landfill and the reprocessing into new products can also produce emissions.
3) Practical issues
When we recycle, there can be a number of practical issues, including;
Space – When we recycle we usually need more containers which can lead to storage difficulties for some houses and flats.
Water – When we recycle, recyclables need to be clean. Using old dish water is the best way of avoiding the use of excessive clean water.
Sorting – Some types of rubbish contain different layers and materials which need separated in order to be recycled. This can be difficult for some people.
This website is intended to provide a broad introduction to waste management in Devon, if it doesn’t answer all your waste questions, please contact us via the ‘Ask a question’ page on this site and we will do our best to answer it.
