How recycling helps save your money - and the environment
HOW much do we recycle? It is a question we are often asked by adults and school children alike. A decade ago we were in single figures with our recycling rate, now it is beginning to edge up towards 30 per cent. With the further roll out of brown bins for biodegradable waste during 2012, this figure is expected to rise further.
But why should we recycle? The following are a few good reasons.
Recycling helps to conserve our natural resources such as oil, metal and water. For example plastic bottles can be recycled into new plastic bottles and polyester fibres for use in fleece jumpers and car mats. By recycling we reduce the amount of natural resources needed to make products and packaging. Also less mining and extraction occurs, which is beneficial to the natural habitats of wild animals.
Recycling saves energy. For example, recycling aluminium saves 95 per cent of the energy required to produce aluminium from raw materials.
Recycling just one plastic bottle will save enough energy to power a 60 watt light bulb for three hours!
Recycling protects the environment by conserving energy, so less greenhouse gases are emitted.
Recycling reduces our dependence on landfill. With less materials going to landfill, less harmful emissions like methane gas are released into the earth's atmosphere.
Since 1997, over 4.4 million tonnes of used packaging has been diverted from landfill, that's enough waste to create a trail of trucks from Dublin to New York!
Recycling can save you money. By putting more recyclable materials into your recycling bin you reduce the amount of times you have to put your general refuse or black bin out for collection. It is usually more expensive to collect the black bin than the recycling bin, so recycling can save you money.
With a little effort we can increase our recycling figures even further. Indeed at present, there is no reason we cannot recycle up to 50 per cent of household waste.
