Wednesday 15 January 2014

Recycling: A Better Way to Live



The concept of Recycling is Reduce (If the need is not very important don’t buy it), Reuse (if you must have it, try to use products which can be reused) and Recycle (try to convert the existing unused product into something new and useable).

Recycling begins at home. You can also take part in recycling process. Try to use your old products in some creative way. Before buying a new product from the market try to figure out if you can make use of your old stuff by any other means. It is very simple, lesser the garbage, more the land space free for other natural uses.

While shopping please avoid plastic bags. Recycled paper bags are far better option. Even better, take your own household bags while shopping. Don’t get dazzled by the packaging of the product. If apart from packaging, other things remain the same, buy the product which has the minimal packaging. A lot of money has been spent on the packaging of the product but all of that goes to the garbage bin. Be wise save your money as well as help in reducing garbage from the environment.

There are several benefits of recycling:

It reduces the need for fresh raw material in the form of metal, wood (forest), petroleum etc. When we use a new product made from virgin materials, there is lots of energy spent on the extraction, refining and processing of these materials. Just for an example 1 ton of aluminum requires 8 tons of bauxite (the ore from where aluminum is extracted) and 4 tons of chemicals. If we switch to recycled aluminum cans we can save 90 to 95% of this energy. A recycled paper needs 2/3 times less energy when compared to fresh paper.

It is true that recycling also requires energy to process but it is far lesser than if produced from virgin materials.

Apart from the energy needs, these processes emit toxic substances which pollute the environment. So by switching towards recycled products, we are not only saving energies but also protecting our surroundings from toxic substances.

Recycling also reduces cost of production. Though the collection of used material will cost you some money but it is a very meager amount when compared with the cost of the energy and waste disposal which you have to bear when you are making a new product from virgin materials.

You can recycle various types of material. Plastic, glass, food scraps, wooden parts, metal parts every thing can be used in recycling process. If you are creative enough your options are endless.

Composting is a good example of using recycled materials to its best use. If you are a gardener you can use composting methods and avoid any chemical fertilizers. You can find more about compost and composting here.

Recycling is a sustainable way of living. Here new products are being made from the older and used up ones. By opting to use recycled materials you can create a green consciousness in society. This cyclic way of living is far better than any linear model.

We all need to do our best to make an impact in protecting our environment.


If you have liked the article, please consider sharing it with your friends:

Like this article :

0 comments:

Post a Comment

ShareThis

Most Popular On Natural Living