Ever wondered why waste prevention and recycling are so important? It’s estimated that 33% of the world’s waste is not managed in an environmentally safe way. And, because of that, millions of tons of recyclable materials end up in landfills. As an example, cardboard, plastic bottles, and food waste recycling initiatives could save us hundreds of billions of dollars every year.
In this post we’re going to outline ten major reasons to recycle. So, if you’ve ever wondered why recycling is important or how it can benefit your community (and your bottom line), give it a read and reach out to the pros at Schupan with any questions.
Recycling reduces the need to mine raw materials, since new products can be made of recycled materials. In this way, the recycling process is at the heart of the circular economy, as it ensures that crucial materials remain for future generations.
It takes substantially less energy to recycle metals than it does to produce new ones. Every time a product is manufactured from recycled metal, both energy and (by extension) the environment are conserved. As a result, fewer waste materials are produced, manufacturers lower costs, and consumers save money.
In addition to saving energy, recycling massively reduces the emission of damaging greenhouse gases when compared to producing new materials. According to the EPA, recycling of municipal waste saved over 193 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is like taking 42 million cars off the road every year.
Reducing our dependence on new materials doesn’t just save us money, it helps to preserve the beauty (and sanctity) of other people’s communities. Mining, harvesting, and extracting can be a major detriment, exacting untold costs to the people who live near the extraction sites.
But it’s not just the people! Recycling also protects the ecosystems of local wildlife, safeguarding their habitats and ensuring they have a safe, healthy environment to live in.
Recycling drives aren’t just a good way to reduce waste, they’re a great way to build a sense of community. Raising money for your local Little League team, to fund a Boy Scout camp, or give a donation to a favorite charity isn’t just environmentally friendly, it’s also just generally friendly.
Every year, recycling activities represent almost 700,000 jobs and $38 billion in wages, which is a massive boon for communities. Just in the local communities that we serve, Schupan employs 550 people across eighteen locations in four states.
On average, Americans produce four pounds of waste every day, and that number is increasing every year. When that waste has nowhere else to go, it ends up in landfills, which poses threats to the community’s property values, environmental health, and overall quality of life.
In the long term, recycled goods are way less expensive and more economically viable. For that reason, increasing the public appetite for recycled products is a win-win, as it reduces the costs for both manufacturers and consumers simultaneously.
And, of course, one of the classic reasons why it’s so important to recycle: it reduces pollution. If we recycled all of our plastic waste, bottles, aluminum, and other materials, we could all live in a circular economy where the environment is protected, companies reduce their overall costs, and everyone benefits.
