Recycling

The world would be a better place if everyone would recycle.Recycling is one of the most misunderstood yet extremely important issues in our world today. Recycling is simply returning materials to their raw material components and then using these again to supplement or replace new materials in the manufacture of a new product. It is important for every person to take responsibility for his or her own contribution to the recycling effort. Recycling is known as reusing and restoring our garbage, most people don't understand it can also include donating old clothes to charitable organizations, reusing plastic containers to store food in the refrigerator, and many other activities we already participate in. Although recycling is everywhere in our lives, I will focus on our everyday waste products, why recycle them, how to recycle them, and if it is a worthwhile cause. There are a myriad of curbside recycling services operating nationwide, therefore, people can no longer make excuses for their lack of recycling. It is important that everyone becomes educated about recycling. This would lead to people making informed decisions about buying products which are recyclable and minimize the amount of garbage that cannot be recycled.Recycling 'healing' the Earth in many ways, such as helping to slow global warming, diminishing acid rain, reducing water pollution, conserving landfill space, and lowering pollutants in the air '. For four consecutive weeks, I collected my personal garbage and counted and/or weighed the respective products. I learned that many of the products I use can be recycled, however, I also realized that I need to make a more conscious effort to buy recyclable products. I noted everything in my journal, which gave a description of the garbage I collected and how it is divided into several categories which are: aluminum, other metals, glass, plastics, newspaper, white paper, other paper, and food products. I will discuss each group and how, or if, the products listed in the group can be recycled. Using aluminum can cut down on a lot of pollution. Virgin ore is a substitute for aluminum, but it is not healthy to the environment. By using recycled aluminum instead of virgin ore, we can eliminate 95 percent of air pollution and 97 percent of water pollution. More than 95 percent of all canned beverages are sold in aluminum containers. Aluminum is one o...

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...t pollution generated by tire production, and reduce the problems we create when we throw them away. Fourth, reusing plastic shopping bags is an easy way to help the recycling effort. If we must use plastic bags, we can use the same ones two or three or more times before throwing them away. Keeping them in the trunk of the car is a good idea, so they are readily accessible. Fifth, turn the faucet off while brushing your teeth. "This is a simple habit to get used to and it will save up to 5 gallons of water just while brushing your teeth".

Since I bought a trash sorter for this project, I plan to keep using it and take advantage of my neighborhood curbside recycling service. There is a schedule set up to put out plastics one day, glass one day, and paper another day. It must be sorted and in the blue recyclable bags that my trash company provides. I do think that every little bit helps in the recycling effort. If everyone had the same attitude as me, we would not have the mess we have now. I feel good about doing something worthwhile for the environment, and I am sure if others put in a little effort they would receive the same satisfaction