What Is Recycling?

What Is Recycling?

Reduction, Re-use, Recycling - The three R\'s of solid waste management.

  1. Reduction - to keep materials out of waste stream which ends up in a landfill.
  2. Reuse - to reuse of materials that would otherwise become waste, reusing without further processing.
  3. Recycling - removes reusable materials from the waste stream so they can be remade into either the same product or into new products.

It is environmentally responsible and economically beneficial to recycle and reduce the amount of waste dumped at landfills.

The first landfills were merely holes in the ground resulting in leaching and groundwater pollution problems but they must now meet safe standards and landfill fees have had to increase to take this compliance into account. Landfill tipping fees are only part of cost equation - meeting environmental codes, protection of surrounding areas from groundwater pollution, management and long-term development of landfill areas also makes dumping expensive.

Landfill space is under pressure because there is a greater acceptance of disposable products. this results in more packaging, non-refillable containers, convenience and takeaway food and drink packaging filling household garbage. Population increases also add to the amount of waste being generated.

Most householders would be familiar with a transfer station where they can dispose of their rubbish. these stations are usually closer to town for convenience. After rubbish is dumped at the transfer station it is loaded into large trucks and taken to the landfill, usually some distance from residential and commercial areas, where waste is buried in the ground.

Recycling is cost effective because:

  • Manufacturing with recycled material requires less energy (power consumption) which usually results in reduced air and water pollution.
  • By reducing the output of harmful gases from burning fuels we reduce the risk of acid rain and global warming so there are generally lower compliance costs.
  • Protection and conservation of natural resources because there is less demand for raw or virgin materials

Examples:

  1. recycling aluminium uses a mere five percent of the energy needed to produce new aluminium,
  2. adding old glass to batches of new glass reduces the energy requirement of furnaces by up to 20 percent,
  3. reduces litter because bottles, cans, etc are collected
  4. creates more jobs than landfilling

Typical domestic rubbish bag:

  • 55% is garden and kitchen waste - could be recycled by composting
  • 21% paper - can be recycled
  • 8% plastics - mostly recyclable
  • 5% glass - mostly recyclable
  • 4% metals - some reuse
  • 7% other