Why Should We Recycle?

Top 10 reasons to recycle

Whether it’s driving to the office or buying a packet of chocolates, day-to-day often involves the consumption of a large amount of energy and natural resources. Driving, for instance, pollutes the air and uses up fuels that have been harvested from deep underground oil wells. A box of chocolate requires cutting down forests to grow coffee plants in commercial scales: add this to the cost of transportation and the use of water… it is alarming how much we damage the planet through our consumption!

We are reaching a point where the earth is struggling to provide for all of us. Worldwide phenomenon like global warming, pollution, and land toxicity are a result of the modern, unsustainable consumer lifestyle we have become accustomed to. Whilst it’s difficult for us to stop driving (or eating chocolates), we can certainly ensure that the absolute minimum of our used items go to landfill. Recycling is one of the various ways to reduce the negative impact on our planet.

Here are the top 10 reasons why everyone should start and encourage recycling today:

1. To save our natural resources!

The less we use a car, the more fuel is saved. Similarly, if you use recycled paper, plastics and other recycled items where possible will be environmentally beneficial to us all! Manufacturing 1 ton of paper requires cutting down 17 huge trees and more than 7,000 gallons of water. Recycling and reusing can minimize this unnecessary consumption.

2. To conserve natural spaces

If, by using recycled materials, you can save 17 huge trees from being cut down, you would be saving a small natural patch of earth from obliteration! Similarly, recycling waste water can reduce the consumption of energy and the need to build dams on rivers.

3. To save energy

Every commercial manufacturing process requires a great amount of energy – energy that is derived from nature! We need to reduce this as much as possible in order to pushing the limits of our planet.

4. To reduce greenhouse emissions

Less use of energy would mean less pollution and less burning of fossil fuel. This will help in our global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

5. To minimize pollution

When fossil fuel is burned, it exposes our atmosphere to several toxic gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen and others. Recycling helps enormously in limiting the amount of pollutants we add to our earth.

6. We need to reduce landfills!

Reusing waste and recycling as much as we can will reduce the amount that goes to landfill! Not only are these sites hideous and ruin our beautiful landscape, but they add toxicity to our soil, pollutes the ground and waterways, and release an extortionate amount of greenhouse gas.

7. It creates jobs

The state of Ohio created almost 100,000 new jobs in 2002 by promoting the use of recycled products including paper, wood, ply, plastic, cardboards, and metals. The state reportedly recycled a whopping 2338 tons of waste materials!

8. Recycling encourages technological advances

When you choose to use recycled products, companies are automatically forced to switch to environment friendly practices! This leads to research and innovation in new technologies that are environmentally friendly.

9. Save money!

Small things like recycling and reusing print cartridges, plastic bags, paper, cardboards, cartons, etc can in fact save you money. Even recycling used water in your home for washing and gardening purposes will allow you to save on energy costs!

10. We need to create a better and sustainable future

The earth has a limit to its ‘giving’ and we are already at the point where something drastic needs to be done to conserve our natural resources. Recycling is essential to creating a sustainable future for this planet and our next generations.

Write for Us!

Hana's post is part of our Write for Us series! If you'd like to be featured please click here for more details. We really look forward to reading your submissions!