There is a lot of talks these days about the importance of recycling, and nearly everyone believes it’s important to some degree. But many just take for granted that recycling is a good thing without getting into the substance of it. Let’s look at 5 ways that recycling is beneficial.
Recycling Reduces Waste and Landfills
Face it: Americans produce a lot of waste. The EPA estimates we generated 254 million tons (508 billion pounds!) in 2013, to be exact. And all that waste has to go somewhere. Space-constrained large cities like NYC have even resorted to paying other states to take their garbage away. It may sound obvious, but it’s an important point: anything that gets recycled avoids the landfill.
Recycling Saves Money and Resources
In some cases, recycling is simply more efficient than not doing so. For some resources (including aluminum and steel) it is much cheaper and more efficient to build from recycled materials than it is to mine and process new ones. This can add up to a significant an economic benefit.
Recycling Lowers Consumption of Nonrenewable Resources
According to the National Institutes of Health, nonrenewable resources make up over 90% of the natural resources Americans use. By recycling nonrenewable resources, we are able to reuse already-mined resources instead of mining new ones.
Recycling Is Good for the Planet
Since none of us can predict the future, we should reuse as much as we can and save as much raw materials for the future as possible. Future generations will have needs we haven’t even dreamed up yet. We should work to ease the burden on our kids.
Recycling Is Good for You, Too
Decluttering is good for the soul, and recycling unwanted possessions can improve your mood. Old nonworking appliances or vehicles are a hassle and sometimes a hazard, but instead of hauling them off to the dump, find a scrapyard that will recycle the components. You might even make some money off these sorts of items.
If you need help removing junk from your home or looking for appliance disposal, contact the team at 1-855-Joe-Junk today.