Why is it important to recycle? What are 5 benefits of recycling? What benefits does recycling have to offer individually, economically and to Earth?
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Why Do We Have to Recycle? The Importance of Recycling Today
Recycling is one of the best ways in which we can cut down on global pollution and protect our Mother Earth from destruction. The benefits of recycling are numerous. It helps preserve Earth’s resources. It saves us from pollution and thereby promotes better health for us and Nature as a whole.
The subject of recycling is very vast. It includes many diverse stages. There are some materials we are able to recycle and some which we can’t. Here we will touch upon 5 of the most important benefits of recycling.
What Are 5 Benefits of Recycling?
1. Recycling saves Nature and Earth’s Resources.
It is important for human beings to live environmentally responsible lives because it has a direct impact on our lives. The more we pollute the environment and make uncontrolled use of the Earth’s resources, our health and well-being are affected.
Take, for example, the recycling of paper. The more paper we use up for our daily needs, like newspaper, packaging and books, the more trees that are being cut down. When trees are cut down, there is an increase in greenhouse gases being emitted. Without the necessary amount of greenery to produce oxygen, there is a significant increase in global warming. And global warming is responsible for many adverse conditions like acid rain, air pollution, rising sea levels and many more.
So recycling goes a long way in preserving Nature and Earth’s resources. The more we recycle paper, the more trees we save from destruction. And this applies to the recycling of many other materials like metal, glass and plastic too.
2. Recycling Promotes Better Health for Us
We human beings can be very selfish in fulfilling our needs. What do we care if the Earth is not a safe place for our future generations? What do we care if we cut down all the damn trees and simply enjoy life as we want?
The undeniable fact is that the destruction of the ecosystem and nature has a direct impact on our health. If we don’t recycle, we are depleting important Earth’s resources like trees and water and causing more pollution. Pollution includes the air we breathe, the pollution of drinking water and the environment in which we live.
The health effects caused by such pollution are simply too numerous to explain. But some of them include asthma and lung cancer from air pollution, heavy metal poisoning from polluted water and toxins in our food. We could be selfish and not care about recycling or pollution, but when our own health is in danger, shouldn’t we be more concerned?
3. Recycling save Energy
Recycling saves energy because there is more energy required to manufacture a product from scratch than to recycle something. For example, it takes less energy to recycle glass than it takes to make glass from heating sand. Likewise, it is more energy-saving to recycle paper than it is to grow a tree.
Think about it. When we save energy, we are also saving the limited energy producing material like petroleum that is required to produce electricity. Even if we are using renewable solar energy, it makes more sense to save electricity and use it for what we really need, like technological advancements and research.
It is important to save energy, too, because burning energy leads to the emission of more greenhouse gases and global warming.
4. Recycling saves money
This is one fantastic incentive for people to recycle. Recycling is not just about being environmentally conscious. It is also about being wise and saving money. Whether you are recycling glass bottles, paper or electronics, there are many recycling centers and manufacturing companies that offer money for recyclable products.
One of the highest-paying recyclable materials is metals. So don’t chuck away broken metal products. You can sell them at a scrap metal store and earn money. You can collect paper and cardboard and sell them too. Broken electronics, used ink cartridges and batteries, old computers and light bulbs are all materials which you can earn money from if you take them to the right place.
Recycling also saves a lot of money for manufacturers. It costs much less money and energy for a company to manufacture a product from scratch than to make use of recycled items. A soft drink company will save a lot of money by recycling used drink bottles than manufacturing new ones. This money saved is again offered to the general public with reduced costs for products.
5. Recycling reduces environmental pollution.
One of the most important benefits of recycling is that it prevents waste from ending up in landfills and polluting the environment. Pollution is not just about unsightly landfills and smelly waste mountains. But it is also about plastic waste ending up in oceans and killing sea animals. It is also about toxic chemicals seeping into groundwater and polluting the food we eat and the water we drink.
So responsible recycling can go a long way in promoting health and giving us a safe place to live. It is important to recycle plastics and electronic items and prevent them from ending up in landfills and oceans as much as possible.
Recycling will help save the millions of animals that die from pollution every day. Recycling will help save the ecosystem that is thrown out of balance when animals die. Recycling will save nature, including animals, resources and human beings too.
What are 5 Benefits of Recycling? Summary
The benefits of recycling are numerous. Recycling saves money; it saves energy and, more importantly, saves the planet. It is important to recycle everything we can, from water to energy, paper, plastic and electronic products, if we are to preserve the Earth’s resources for future generations. Recycling also reduces pollution and thereby promotes better health for human beings. Better health means happier lives, more money saved and a more wholesome living as a human being. So recycle for a better life for all of us!
Also read: Does cutting up straws help save the environment?
*All pics are courtesy of Unsplash.com
