Article 3: Recycling

Is Recycling Soda-Pressing?

Recently I have been working very hard at recycling as much as possible. All of this recycling lead me to the question, how valuable is recycling? To my gleeful surprise it is very valuable! At least for most things. In order to make more sense of this I have broken recycling down into product categories.
Glass Worth it? YES
Glass is made from natural materials, this means that glass can be recycled endlessly into the process of making more glass. 95% of the raw material to make glass can be found in recycled glass. Not only that but the recycling process saves energy and the environment. When it comes the the environment, recycling 6 tons of glass reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emissions by 1 ton! By recycling 10 glass containers one could save enough energy to operate a television for 2 hours.
How many times can it be recycled? Infinite

Metal Worth it? Yes
Recycled aluminum uses 90% less energy that that of processing new aluminum. This means that by recycling  6 aluminum cans one could save enough energy to power an air conditioner for an hour. Steel can also be recycled and eliminates the need to mine as many materials when producing new sheets.
How many times can it be recycled: Infinite

Paper Worth it? YES
Recycling paper is very efficient. By recycling just a ton of paper we are saving enough energy to power a home for 6 months! Also according to the EPA, "recycling paper causes 35 percent less water pollution and 74 percent less air pollution than making paper from raw materials."
 How many times can it be recycled: 5-7 times

Plastics Worth it? NO and YES

The set up required is difficult at best. The main issue that really lies with plastics though is that it simply doesn’t go away and it can only be recycled a few times. Once it has been recycled those few times it breaks down into microscopic pieces. Plastics unlike metals and paper also come with a rating system. When this system isn’t sorted correct, it can derail the recycle process. It is also much cheaper for companies to produce more plastic then reuse what is currently available so the insensitive to use recycled plastics is small.

How many times can it be recycled: A few times

Electronics Worth it? YES

Electronics are full of valuable resources. One million phones can provide 35lb copper, 75lb gold, and 33lb palladium. This lessens the need to strip mine these materials. We just have to make sure that the social aspect of recycling phone is fare. There are reports of human right violations in other counties when it comes to work such as dismantling old phones.

How many times can it be recycled: Infinitely

Source Link: http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/is-recycling-worth-it-zm0z15fmzsor.aspx?PageId=1#axzz3QAqIKRn2