Modern Definition of Recycling

We can define recycling today as an act that protects the environment against dangerous waste products (especially plastic waste) that otherwise would seriously affect sealife, the soil and numerous ecosystems on the entire planet.

Recycling Definition

Recycling is the process in which we collect waste materials to brake them down into building blocks that can be then turned into new products or materials.

The most common materials that are recycled today include: paper, plastic, glass, steel and aluminum.

In terms of products recycled today we can include: old cars, used appliances, different used electronics, etc.

We can recycle almost everything today in order to reduce waste, protect the environment and improve the efficiency of our civilization.

Food and other organic waste materials can’t be recycled this way, however, organic waste can be used to produce compost (using a digester) or energy (from biogas).

Food waste is collected and separated from the trash that goes to the landfill because this way we are stopping the greenhouse gas emissions produced by food waste left in the landfill.

Turning food waste into energy reduces the use of fossil fuels for energy production and also reduces landfill waste.

Recycling – How it Works?

If you have trash containing paper, glass, plastic and aluminum cans, just put it into the recycling bin that has the recycling symbol on it.

If you have food waste or other type of organic waste use it to produce compost because food waste can’t be recycled in a recycling facility that deals only with paper, plastic, glass and metal.

Removing food scraps from the recyclable trash at the recycling facility, consumes additional energy, and slows down the entire process.

Once collected, the recyclable trash is transported with trucks at the recycling facility where is dropped-off in a large warehouse.

From there, the recyclable trash goes into sorting, which is an almost all automatic process, consisting of conveyor belts, magnets, cameras and other machines dedicated to sorting different materials.

The sorting machine can sort materials such as: glass, aluminum, paper, cartons and different types of plastic.

Recyclable trash is transformed into useful materials

After sorting, the recycled materials are collected and compressed into blocks called bales.

A bale can weight 1,000 or 1,500 pounds and they’re sold to 3rd party companies at a price between $100 to $400 per ton for PET bottles scrap, and $150 to $1,300 per ton for aluminum cans.

The companies buying the bales of recycled materials, will clean and process the raw material and will create new products from it.

Recycling, sorting and buying the bales of raw materials consumes much less energy than mining for new and virgin materials.

As an example, we can take one aluminum can that consumes to be created from virgin material the same amount of energy as creating 20 aluminum cans from recycled materials.

You need to know that plastic is mostly created from oil, and by using 1 ton of recycled plastic we can save up to 16 barrels of oil.

Recylcing protects the natural resources of the planet

When mining for new and virgin materials, we are consuming the natural resources of the planet, which are limited, so when we put into trash a plastic bottle, an aluminum can, glass, paper or other products, we are wasting the natural resources of the planet because if they are recycled, all these materials will go to a landfill and from there into an incinerator.

By learning to recycle, we are protecting the natural resources of the Earth, and this way we are protecting the environment.

What Are the Challenges of Recycling?

The main challenges of recycling are mainly created by us (the people), because even in the XXIst century, we are still not very aware of the fact that by recycling our trash, we can have a positive impact on the environment and on our life here on the planet.

According to the E.P.A., recycling has steadily grown in the last decades in the U.S, but even so, more than half of the trash produced today in the country, ends up in landfills (53%), about 13% is burned with energy recovery, only 25% is recycled and about 9% of the organic waste is turned into compost.

By checking a garbage can that has next to it bins to recycle plastic, paper, glass and metal, you will find that many things that can be recycled are in the garbage can instead of being thrown in the recycling bins.

Only a small percent of garbage is recycled

Why we recycle only 34% of our garbage? well, there are several reasons behind this, such as: a lack of public education, the rules have been changed lately because we need to protect the environment, so wasting resources is no longer an option, maybe some people don’t care enough even if they should, and so on.

It is good that in schools today, the younger generation learns what is the environment and how important is to protect it by conserving its resources and reducing the level of pollution on the planet.

This activity ensures that the future generations will be way more aware of the fact that the environment is very precious for our life here on the planet, and will protect it much better than we do today.

Another issue created by the lack of knowledge and education in the field, is generated by the trash that people consider as being recyclable even if it is not (wish-cycling).

Recycling facilities can process a pretty wide variety of materials

Recycling facilities can process today only materials such as paper, plastic, glass, and metal, and by throwing in the recycling container, garbage such as food scraps (should be used to produce compost), a large number of plastic bags (you should skip them and take a reusable bag), plastic film, paper towels (they’re compostable), plastic straws (use less of them instead of trying to recycle them), you are only making the recycling facility to consume more energy for nothing.

Wish-cycling consumes a lot of energy and fuel because the facility will work to sort all the trash and the materials that can’t be recycled will only be sent to the dump.

Hard plastics should always be put into the recycling bin.

Recycling and the Environment

Our world is under threat today due to the huge volume of trash produced every day on the planet that is not recycled or turned into compost.

Because we recycle only a small part of our trash, all the garbage that is not recycled goes into large pits called “landfill”.

A pit like this, is filled to the top with garbage and then is covered over.

Garbage starts decomposing in landfills, which generates methane, and this a very potent and dangerous greenhouse gas that only increases the greenhouse effect on the planet.

Landfills poison the soil

Bed smelling (poisonous) liquids leak out from the landfill making the entire area to look terrible.

However, garbage that doesn’t find its way to landfill is left on the street, in the forest, on the beach, etc.

Garbage left in nature looks horrible and its a major threat to wildlife.

Trash consisting of plastic can split into many tiny pieces, which can be swallowed by animals, fish and birds, and it could choke them.

When is very hot outside, plastic bottles can start fires, which can destroy large areas of countryside.

Our oceans suffer the most due to the massive plastic pollution made by people that seriously affects marine life.

Conclusion

Modern recycling facilities can process a large volume of trash every day to select the materials that can be recycled, but we also need to help them by putting our trash in the proper recycling bin, by not throwing our trash outside in nature, and by participating at cleaning actions on the beach, in the park, in the forest, etc.

We need to educate people how to properly deal with trash and how to recycle all the useful materials because only this way we can conserve our natural resources here on the planet and make our world look and smell much better.