Recycling 101

Recycling is the system of collecting; sorting and reprocessing old material into usuable raw materials.

This is the internationally recognised symbol for recycling. It stand for 3 elements in the recycling process. COLLECTION ---> MANUFACTURE ---> RESALE --->


Why should we recycle? well firstly, the earths resources are not going to last forever. Every day people throw away bags and bags of rubbish that gets thrown into landfills,most of the rubbish that gets thrown into these landfills can be recycled. Instead it gets placed into a landfill and doesnt ever degrade. It takes decades before the land can be used as anything, then it has limited uses. When we put a reusable resource into a landfill we decrease what is available for use.

The rate of recycling isnt as high as it could be as many peolpe find it to be too much of an effort. What most peolpe dont know is that by recycling one can, you can power a tv for 3 hpurs, or that 17 trees are saved when one tonne of paper is recycled.Government wants to reduce the amount of plastic, cans, paper and glass going to landfills by 70 percent in the next decade or so. To meet that target, households need to stop simply throwing away rubbish and start implementing the three Rs: Reduce,Reuse and Recycle.


Recycling can be easily done by having 4 bins in your household

1. PAPER
2. PLASTIC
3. GLASS
4. TIN

• Glass is 100 percent recyclable but it is not biodegrabale. The raw materials for glass – sand, soda and lime – all have to be dug from the earth and melted together at very high temperatures. Energy is saved by recycling. Every ton of glass recycled also saves 1,2 tons of raw materials
• Cans are 100 percent recyclable. They are melted down to make new steel. This reduces the need to mine new iron ore and saves on the energy used to mine and process it.

Why should we recycle?

• Saves Natural Resources - By making products from recycled materials, we conserve land and reduce the need to drill for oil and dig for minerals.
• Saves Energy - It usually takes less energy to make recycled products
• Saves Clean Air and Water - In most cases, making products from recycled materials creates less air pollution and water pollution than making products from virgin materials.
• Saves Landfill Space - When the materials that you recycle go into new products, they don't go into landfills or incinerators, so landfill space is conserved.
• Saves Money and Creates Jobs - The recycling process creates far more jobs than landfills or incinerators, and recycling can frequently be the least expensive waste management method for cities and towns.

If each person plays their part; recycling can change the world.