Nearly two-thirds of all household rubbish can be recycled, saving energy and avoiding waste going to landfill. Find out how to recycle a wide range of goods – from batteries to clothes – and discover how recycling can help protect the environment.
Recycling cuts down on the need for landfills. It also reduces the use of new materials and saves energy, helping to tackle climate change. Recycling just one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a television set for three hours.
If you’re not already recycling, find out more about how easy it is and how you can really make a difference. For those who already recycle, discover the positive effect your recycling efforts are making and find out what else you may be able to do.
Recycling reduces landfill
When we recycle, recyclable materials are reprocessed into new products, and as a result the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites reduces. As at 1997, the U.S. had 3,091 active landfills and over 10,000 old municipal landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Recycling Conserves Resources
When we recycle, used materials are converted into new products, reducing the need to consume natural resources. If used materials are not recycled, new products are made by extracting fresh, raw material from the Earth, through mining and forestry.
Recycling helps conserve important raw materials and protects natural habitats for the future.
Recycling saves energy
Using recycled materials in the manufacturing process uses considerably less energy than that required for producing new products from raw materials – even when comparing all associated costs including transport etc.
Plus there are extra energy savings because more energy is required to extract, refine, transport and process raw materials ready for industry compared with providing industry-ready materials.
Recycling helps protect the environment
Recycling reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and processing raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution.
As recycling saves energy it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle climate change.