Environmental Importance Recycling is very important as waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment. Harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released from rubbish in landfill sites. Recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by waste.

– Recycling saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, reduces air and water pollution, preserves our resources and protects wildlife. It can reduce the amount of space used and harmful gases that are produced by landfills.

Recycling conserves natural resources, strengthens our economy and creates jobs. Recycling is an essential part of Sustainable Materials Management (SMM), an approach that emphasizes the productive and sustainable use of materials across their entire life cycle, while minimizing their environmental impacts.

According to the World Economic Forum report, “after a short first-use cycle, 95% of plastic packaging material value, or $80–120 billion annually, is lost to the economy.” Almost one-third of the discarded packaging material reduces productivity of “vital natural systems such as the ocean and [clogs] urban …

Some of the many benefits of recycling are the prevention of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and supporting local economies by creating jobs and tax revenue. Recycling programs can also help to improve water and air quality and are building blocks for sustainable growing communities.

Benefits of Recycling

• Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators.
• Conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals.
• Increases economic security by tapping a domestic source of materials.
• Prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials.
• Saves energy.

Moreover, fossil fuels are used in the production of recycled paper while the energy source for creating virgin paper is often waste products from timber. Furthermore, processing recycled paper produces a solid waste sludge which ends up in a landfill or incinerator, where its burning can emit harmful byproducts.

The Compounding Effects of Not Recycling

• Landfills Fill Up Faster. When recyclable items are tossed into the garbage instead of the recycling, they eventually end up in landfills.
• Greenhouse Gases Are Released.
• Toxins Can Leach Into Soil and Groundwater.
• New Resources Are Required.

If you don’t recycle your used paper and instead throw it into the trash, it goes where all trash goes — to the landfill. The EPA cites landfills as the single largest source of methane emissions to the atmosphere, and has identified the decomposition of paper as among the most significant sources of landfill methane.

When people throw away scrap metal, we are harming the environment. By not recycling we’re also wasting finite resources. Not only does this process deplete our resources but it also destroys the natural habitats of other creatures, according to Panda Environmental. Additionally, trees produce oxygen.

Recycling prevents the emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants, and saves energy. Using recovered material generates less solid waste. Recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by the extraction and processing of virgin materials.

Increased water temperatures. The oceans are getting hotter due to climate change, and it’s making them become acidic. This has a direct effect on ocean ecosystems and it’s also changing the oceans’ currents. A higher level of acidity in the oceans means that coral can’t grow and crustaceans can’t form shells.

By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. (30 to 40% of the carbon dioxide from human activity released into the atmosphere dissolves into oceans, resulting in the creation of carbonic acid.) Ocean acidification is therefore a rising concern.

Most plastic straws are also not biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria and other decomposers into non-toxic materials. Most plastic straws simply break into ever-smaller particles, releasing chemicals into the soil, air, and water that are harmful to animals, plants, people, and the environment.

The Ocean Cleanup labelled “a dream that seduced many people” As well as being difficult to collect, this plastic is difficult and expensive to recycle. Of course it can be recycled into products and building materials, but first you have to identify the materials, mix them and sort them.”

10 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution

1. Wean yourself off disposable plastics.
2. Stop buying water.
3. Boycott microbeads.
4. Cook more.
5. Purchase items secondhand.
6. Recycle (duh).
7. Support a bag tax or ban.
8. Buy in bulk.

So, what can you do about ocean plastic pollution?

1. Reduce Your Use of Single-Use Plastics.
2. Recycle Properly.
3. Participate In (or Organize) a Beach or River Cleanup.
4. Support Bans.
5. Avoid Products Containing Microbeads.
6. Spread the Word.
7. Support Organizations Addressing Plastic Pollution.

Out of the millions of tons of plastic produced each year, only about 5 percent of it is reclaimed . A large amount of plastic, about eight million metric tons every year, ends up in the ocean, polluting the water and endangering marine life.

While overall the amount of recycled plastics is relatively small—three million tons for a 8.7 percent recycling rate in 2018—the recycling of some specific types of plastic containers is more significant.