Recycling

What is it?

Recycling, simply put, is the process of using a previous product to manufacture a new product. Typically, the original product has already served its purpose and is no longer required. These products are usually made from materials such as paper, plastic, or aluminum. Recently, society is beginning to understand the importance of recycling. There is evident in the incorporation of recycling programs in schools. When children learn at a young age that their actions can either help or damage the environment, it helps spread awareness. Recycling is also extremely important in the workplace. By working together, we can help ensure our planet stays clean and healthy.

Why do it?

There are many different reasons why recycling is extremely beneficial. For starters, recycling conserves resources. By using products we no longer need or are no longer useful to make new products, it reduces the amount of new resources required for these products. In turn, this helps protect natural habitats and conserve raw materials. Recycling also helps save energy. Using recycled materials uses considerably less energy during the manufacturing process. When you take into the account the amount of energy required to extract, refine, transport, and process raw materials, it is easy to see how beneficial it is to use recycled materials. Recycling also helps protect and conserve the environment. It reduces the need for extracting, which means less logging, quarrying, and mining. This, in turn, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is extremely beneficial to the environment. Lastly, recycling helps reduce the number of landfills we have. As our population continues to grow, the amount of garbage has increased significantly, thus increasing the number of landfills. Landfills produce methane, which is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, which damages the ozone layer and pollutes the Earth. When we recycle, we decrease the amount of material that needs to go to the landfill, thus decreasing the amount of landfills (or, at least, decreasing the speed at which landfills are appearing).

How To Create A Recycling Program

While most people to recycle, some people need a program in place to actually do it. Before you begin, you need to gather some information. For starters, you need to know which rooms produce un-recyclable trash, and which ones produce recyclable trash. This will allow you to place certain garbage bins in certain rooms. In common rooms and hallways, you may want to have a bin for each type of garbage. You may also want to contact your local municipal waste collection service, as they will provide you information on what types of material your community can recycle. They may even give you free posters, pamphlets, and bins! Once you have everything organized, plan a meeting with everyone in your office or building, and instruct them on what to place in each bin. This is where the pamphlets will be beneficial, as you can hand one out to each staff member. You will also want to hang posters above each bin. This way, if people forget what goes where, the posters will remind them. You may want to have monthly or bi-monthly meetings, just to remind people about the recycling program, and update everyone on its progress.