1.Recycling Prevents Emissions of Air and Water Pollutants
Many pollutants are released by the extraction and processing of raw
materials. Some of these pollutants are known to be carcinogenic or
toxic to humans, and some have effects, such as creating acid rain, that
are damaging to natural habitats. In addition, for many new and highvolume
usage chemicals, the long-term effects are unknown. Extensive
life-cycle analyses find overall emissions to all environmental media to be lower when
we use recovered rather than virgin materials. Recycling is a highly effective strategy for
reducing all the categories of health risks and pollution resulting from virgin material
extraction and processing.
2.Recycling Saves Energy ;
The extraction and processing of raw materials into manufacturing
feedstocks are some of the most energy-intensive activities of industry.
Reducing or nearly eliminating the need for these processes, therefore,
achieves huge savings in energy. Recycling of aluminum cans, for example,
saves 95 percent of the energy required to make the same amount
of aluminum from its virgin source, bauxite.The amount of energy saved differs by material,
but almost all recycling processes achieve significant energy savings compared to virgin
material production.
3.Recycling Supplies Valuable Materials to Industry ;
When cans, bottles, paper, and other products are recycled, they are
processed into raw materials that can be used in the manufacture of
new products. Much of the recent investment in the paper industry has
been in mills and machines designed specifically to handle recovered
paper.
4.Recycling Creates Jobs;
The traditional waste management system, involving garbage collection
followed by landfilling or incineration, creates relatively few jobs.
While no nationwide estimates of job creation are available, some local
studies have found substantial impacts from recycling. Frequently,
many of the recycling jobs are located in America’s inner cities where
job creation is particularly critical.
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