Before moving on to the benefits of recycling, let’s start with the answer to this question, what is recycling? Recycling is the name given to the reprocessing of used and unused materials and their reunion with the consumer. Recycle materials; plastic bottles, car tires, broken glass pieces, marble pieces and in short, we can give them as expired items. Recycling is achieved by converting wastes that can be reused into a second raw material by subjecting them to physical and chemical processes. In recycling, the aim is to prevent excessive use of resources. Thus, the amount of garbage is reduced; We would have taken a serious step towards benefiting the environment.
The Importance of Recycling
Paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, metal… Thanks to the recycling process, these materials not only protect nature, but also protect our pockets. Recycling also makes a great contribution to the country’s economy. In this way, the amount of foreign currency paid for the imported scrap material is reduced and energy use is significantly reduced. Recycling of used paper that has lost its function significantly reduces costs such as air pollution, water pollution and water use. In the meantime, according to researches, adding 1 ton of waste paper to pulp prevents 7-8 trees from being cut. Some of the items that we come across regarding the importance of recycling are as follows;
- Significantly prevents the reduction of natural resources
- Saves energy
- The amount of garbage is reduced, thus a cleaner nature
- It contributes to the economy, just like the scrap materials we mentioned above.
- It increases the fertility of the soil. Thus, both organic and nutritious products meet our table. If we think that the nature of everything comes from nature, every step we take for nature will return to us as health and good life.
What are the Economic and Environmental Contributions of Recycling?
We can consider the benefits of recycling in two parts as economic and environmental contributions. So what are these environmental and economic benefits? Let’s take a look together.
Contribution of Recycling to the Country’s Economy;
- Waste is prevented, we get less waste.
- It reduces the consumption of raw materials, thus contributing directly to the economy.
- It saves energy, unnecessary energy usage is prevented.
- Recycling provides extra economic benefits to those who collect waste, thus creating a new business line, increasing employment, reducing unemployment.
- It reduces the items that need to be imported from other countries, thus significantly reducing the import costs.
Environmental Contributions of Recycling;
- Recycling preserves trees, minerals and water resources. Thus, a new page is opened to all these “pollution sources”; a white and dirt-free page…
- There is no need to search for new raw materials for the production of consumer goods, thus preventing both air and environmental pollution.
- Makes an important contribution to global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Waste waste that will harm human health is prevented, so we contribute to our health by supporting nature.
What are Recyclable Products?
Of course, many of us have the question of what we can recycle and reuse. What we know is paper, metal, glass, but what we don’t know? We can list a few of the recycled products as follows; aluminum, copper, iron, concrete, plastic, batteries, engine oil, accumulators, organic wastes, textile products, some wooden products, some electronic devices…
How to Recycle
We see many waste bins around us; in hospitals, between neighborhoods, in shopping malls, in short, everywhere. Different phrases on these waste bins draw our attention; paper, glass, plastic… For every material Recycling methods are applied according to the properties it has. For example, paper… Paper is first separated from its fibers in water. There is a cleaning process for foreign materials that do not contain fibers. Ready-made paper fibers are used in the production of recycled paper. Of course, waste paper cannot be recovered by continuous recycling. With each recycling, these fibers are shortened in length and foreign materials are added to bind the fibers. Otherwise, new paper cannot be produced. In summary, each recycling material has different recycling methods according to its own characteristics and these methods vary.
