Recycling really is worth it! Check Out these Interesting Facts

The concept of recycling has been around for a long time, and with the increase in awareness about environmental pollution and global warming due to poor waste management, the benefits of recycling have become more apparent, and the act of recycling is almost a moral responsibility.

Recycling not only reduces the amount of trash that ends up in landfills, it prevents excess use of natural resources and energy, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions too. Here are a few interesting facts about recycling that you may not have known before;

• “Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle” is a waste disposal hierarchy
• More than 60% of the trash that put in waste bags can be recycled
• Recycling paperproduces around 70% less air pollution than if the paper was prepared from raw materials.
• The energy saved from recycling a glass bottle can power a 100 – watt bulb for 4 hours.
• Glass retains its color after recycling and it is 100% recyclable. It can be used over and over again.
• Did you know that a modern glass bottle could take over 4000 years to actually decompose, and longer if it is in a landfill?
• It takes 24 trees to produce 1 ton of newspaper
• The plastic that bags we throw into the ocean kill over a million sea creatures in a year.
• There is really no limit to recycling aluminum.

To get started with recycling and saving your environment, start with the following easy steps:

1. Categorize and separate your waste items. Food waste should not be stored in the same containers as metal or glass. Segregating your waste in this manner will help your waste management service to sort waste better and recycle as appropriate.
2. Check for a recycling center near your home or office and find out how you can send in waste for recycling. Most local recycling programs accept the most common materials like plastic containers, tin and aluminum cans, paper, cardboard and glass.