Why Should You Recycle?

With the green movement in full swing we hear a lot about recycling. You may recycle because it’s the thing to do now, or maybe you don’t because you don’t think it’s really that worth it. Recycling isn’t just a current fad, it’s a long term solution to many problems we face in the world today.

Recycling can help save space. Our landfills are becoming overcrowded from all of the waste we produce. Landfills need space, so they grow up or out. By reducing the amount we throw away we can limit the growth of landfills so they don’t become part of your everyday view.

Recycling helps save our natural resources. We use up enough resources in everything else we do, like driving our cars. Why not give something back by recycling. Recycling means that the materials used for the original get reused, so we don’t have to cut down more trees or use more oil to make a brand new product. Recycling also uses less energy than making something from raw materials because the used materials have already been processed.  Pollution is also affected by recycling. Landfills cause pollution as the waste decomposes, and producing new products creates more air pollution than using recycled materials.

Recycling creates jobs. This is an overlooked fact. When you think about recycling you probably think about the environment, but recycling actually helps the economy too. Recycling plants employ more people than landfills, and research and recycled product production contributes even more.

Many major cities now provide recycling in the same manner they do trash pickup. Recycling is becoming easier and easier and with so little extra effort involved there's no good reason not to recycle.