Environmental Benefits of Recycling

"Save the Earth... recycle products", "Go Green... do recycling", "More recycling, less global warming"... we all come across such encouraging slogans and quotes almost every now and then, don't we? But are we actually doing something about it? Although this doesn't apply to all of us reading this write up, but still there are many of us out there who have just known the benefits of recycling for their 'theoretical' study purpose only. Recycling is not just a term, it is one of the important ways through which we can save our planet from global issues like global warming, pollution, acid rain, deforestation and so on. How? Do you have any idea how much of natural resources will be saved if recycled materials are used to manufacture new products? Studies show that by recycling just one ton of paper, you can actually save 17 trees! The environmental benefits of recycling can actually make this earth a much cleaner, healthier, and greener place to live in. These benefits are discussed as this article proceeds further.

Recycling Benefits to the Environment

Why should we recycle? Well, there wouldn't be such a wide publicity about recycling and saving the earth if the process itself didn't have environmental benefits. Recycling helps in saving the rapid depletion of earth's scarce natural resources by using the existing resources to manufacture new goods. Various issues like global warming and pollution can be controlled only by a small step of recycling. Not only this, many states and cities also take products for recycling in exchange of money. The points mentioned below would help you understand as to why is recycling important for the environment. Have a look!

Saves Trees
As mentioned earlier, recycling a single ton of paper can save almost 17 trees from cutting off. Deforestation is a major cause of concern globally. Also, issues like soil erosion, acid rain, global warming, etc., are directly or indirectly related to it. Therefore, the more you recycle, the more you contribute in making the earth greener.

Reduction in Landfills
According to the National Recycling Coalition, in the year 2000, recycling helped divert almost 70 million tons of material from landfills and incinerators. Which means that the more we recycle, the more lesser materials will be dumped in landfills, which means that there will be less problems of overfilling landfills.

Reduces Pollution
We know that trees produce oxygen and inhale carbon dioxide. Which means, that if you recycle elements like paper, you are saving trees and reducing the effect of harmful gases in the environment, thereby reducing pollution on earth. Research states that recycling contributes in reduction of 10 major air pollutants and 8 major water pollutant categories.

Saves Energy
Did you know that by recycling 1 glass bottle, we can save energy that would be sufficient enough to light a bulb for 4 hours! Production of some materials consumes more energy, than recycling the same materials. For example, cutting out trees to create new paper would take more time and energy as compared to recycling paper. The same is the case with steel which takes a lot of energy in manufacturing as compared to recycling.

Reduces Global Warming
The production of materials like steel, aluminum, etc., emits a lot of harmful gases out in the environment that can not only add to the pollution on earth, but also increases global warming rapidly. If recycled materials are used instead of processing virgin materials to create new products, then this will help reduce pollution and mitigate global warming.

Ozone Layer
The atmosphere of our planet earth has become more prone to ultraviolet rays because of the constant depletion of ozone layer. The major contributor in the ozone layer depletion is the burning of the non-biodegradable materials that are thrown away as garbage. This is where the importance of recycling comes into picture. Take plastic for example, if we recycle plastic, then instead of burning and releasing the harmful chemicals in plastic out in the air, we would save our earth and also contribute in saving the ozone layer.

These are just a few among the various environmental benefits of recycling. Recycling indirectly contributes in saving various species and their habitats, because of minimizing deforestation. Not only this, more trees and healthy environment also helps in reducing soil erosion, acid rain and helps preserve the natural resources as well. This can also help in becoming self-reliant and not needing foreign aid for supplying natural resources and materials. Studies show that by recycling a single ton of steel, 25,000 pounds of iron ore are conserved. This indicates that even a small amount of recycling creates a big difference and you can also help the environment by recycling! An example for the same would be the efforts of Stanford University. In the year 2000, just one campus of the university recycled for one year and saved almost 33,913 trees. Not only this, they also saved the natural resources which included 636 tons of coal, limestone and iron ore. Amazing, isn't it? So how are you contributing your bit to this noble cause?