Why Should We Recycle?

Recycling is extremely important to ensure the planet is well preserved and taken care of for future generations. However, despite many people knowing that recycling is beneficial for the planet, many people do not understand how much of an impact it has on humanity and the environment as a whole. As such, it is far too common for the majority of people to neglect the need to recycle, especially if they don’t see how their actions play a difference in their everyday lives. Because of this, environmental preservation companies and other environmental activist companies are trying to raise awareness around the need for more action to be taken around reducing and reusing as many materials as possible. While these proactive measures are certainly helping to make the difference, the unfortunate reality is that there is still a large portion of the population that is unaware of how their actions affect the environment, and therefore, their own long-term health and well-being. Therefore, it is crucial that the population as a whole learn why we should recycle and the implications of not doing so in order to prevent catastrophic consequences on humanity and the ecosystem as a whole.

Why Should We Recycle?

Many people know that recycling is beneficial to preserve and protect the environment, however, there is still a large majority of people that do not understand just how much it impacts the world, and even, their own well-being. As such, it is vital that awareness be risen about how recycling is absolutely necessary to protect the planet and how not taking proactive steps to ensure the planet survives can play a major role in their own life sooner rather than later. Here are some reasons why recycling efforts are vital to ensure the well-being of the environment and humanity on a large scale:

• Recycling minimizes the amount of landfill waste: This is important because the more landfill waste there is, the more pollution and byproduct of waste there is in our everyday lives. As many people understand, pollution raises havoc on the health of the planet and even our own vitality. Pollution is linked to various diseases and health concerns, even causing plants to die and, thus, being unsuitable for human consumption (a lack of these nutrients in the human body further causes health concerns). Additionally, landfill waste can seep into waterways and contaminant the water we drink, even if the water is run through rigorous purification processes. The truth of the matter is that groundwater can never be fully decontaminated, and so, it ends up in your body as a result.
• Recycling conserves energy: Recycling saves the world a lot of energy expenditure. In fact, across the U.S., recycling saves the same amount of energy it takes to power 14 million homes for a full year. Furthermore, the manufacturing process uses significantly less energy when utilizing recycled materials than it does to produce new products from raw materials. This, in turn, results in reduced energy consumption and pollution from factories that otherwise need to extract, refine, transport, and process raw materials.
• Recycling protects the environment: By reusing materials, the need for extracting new materials is eliminated. This means that the need for mining, quarrying, and logging is reduced, which all contribute to considerable air and water pollution. All of that pollution affects the survival of ecosystems and, in turn, can directly impact your health and well-being.
• Recycling reduces pollution: Although this has been mentioned, it deems necessary to repeat. Because pollution can cause so many health ailments and destroy the planet at large, it is vital to become aware of this fact. In fact, breathing polluted air can put one at a higher risk of developing asthma or other respiratory diseases. Additionally, air pollutants contain mostly carcinogens that can put one at risk of getting cancer. Other health implications from air pollution include: damage to the immune, endocrine and reproductive systems, heart problems, coughing, wheezing, and respiratory inflammation.

Why We Should Know What We Can Recycle

After learning why recycling is crucial to not only the health of the environment but your own vitality and well-being, the next thing you will want to know is exactly what you should and should not recycle. This is one area where even the diligent recycler needs to be aware of so that unnecessary items are not being recycled. However, as these rules are plenty and feel overwhelming, the best practice is to recycle what you know can be recycled and to just do your best. However, with that being said, knowing best practices will be the best way to ensure your recycling efforts are best serving the world at large.

To help you on your recycling journey, here are some things that are commonly recycled but that you should NOT be recycling:

• Styrofoam
• Bubble wrap
• Cords
• Aerosol cans
• Grocery bags (This may be a shocker to you but plastic bags take hundreds of years to decompose because plastic is not biodegradable and, secondly, are the number one source of waterway debri)
• Batteries
• Mirrors
• Clothes hangers
• Medical needles
• Paper towels (Once again, this could surprise you, however, paper towels have byproducts on them that can contaminate the other recyclables)
• Pizza boxes
• Clothing
• Toys
• Dishes
• Flammable liquids
• Scrap wood
• Cleaning products

This is not an all-inclusive list but one that mentions items oftentimes found when making their way to the recycling center. With that being said, here are some items that you should be recycling:

• Plastics
  • Water, soda, juice bottles
  • Milk jugs and crates
  • Liquid containers (as long as the liquid is cleaned out)
  • Jars and tubs (like margarine, yogurt, etc)
  • Soap, shampoo, conditioner bottles
  • Detergent and all-purpose cleaner bottles
  • Empty medicine bottles
  • Plastic disposable cups, plates, utensils (make sure they are not full of grease)
  • Plastic takeout containers
  • Plastic bottle caps
  • Plastics with recycling numbers #1-#7
• Glass
  • Rinsed glass bottles
• Metals:
  • Aluminum foil, tins, trays, baking pans (all clean)
  • Aluminium cans
  • Metal lids or caps from glass jars
• Paper
  • Envelopes
  • Phone books
  • Junk mail
  • Greeting cards
  • Coupons
  • Sticky notes
  • Wrapping paper
  • File folders
  • Magazines

Once again, this is not an all-inclusive list. The best way to approach this is to check online what your local recycling center accepts and what their best practices are.

Supporting the Recycle Cause: Why We Should Be Getting Behind This Movement

Besides recycling, one of the best ways to get behind the recycling cause is to utilize materials that can, in fact, be recycled. Reducing your usage of plastic bottles and replacing those with aluminum or glass bottles is one of the best ways to do this.

If you are looking to replace your plastic bottle consumption with the purest, cleanest, and most sustainable water packaged in a reusable aluminum bottle, you do not need to look any further. Order the purest rainwater on the planet today and not only will the environment thank you but your body will, too.