how recycling helps the environment essay

Essay on Recycling for Students and Children

500+ words essay on recycling.

Recycling is a method of procedure that includes the collection and breaking down of waste material to create something new out of it. The process was introduced sot that the non-biodegradable materials can be melted or break down to create something useful. After the effects of global warming and pollution have become known to men the process of recycling has become more important.

Why We Need Recycling?

We need recycling for many reasons. But most importantly, it will help us to save our planet. Besides, recycling saves the earth by facilitating the reprocess of paper which will save millions of trees.

Also, recycling saves a lot of energy because many things that we recycle can easily be converted into virgin materials. In addition, it saves a lot of resources too.

Moreover, recycling reduces the burden of the environment. As we save energy the number of greenhouse gases and oxides are produced in less quantity. Because most of the toxic gases are produced by factories.

In addition, recycling reduces the amount of waste, that takes years to decompose. Also, the recycled material can be sold. We use this recycled material for the manufacturing of many new products. So, ultimately recycling saves money.

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The Process of Recycling

The various materials that we recycle have to go through a process that refines and purifies them. Besides, different materials go through a different process and in this topic we will discuss the recycling process of various materials.

Paper- It is the most used material on the earth. Paper is made up of two materials water and wood. For recycling paper firstly they break it down in small pieces and dissolve it into water. After that, they add chemicals that filter out the ink and dirt from it. In addition after filtering the paper takes the form of a mush called the pulp and this pulp is later converted into clean paper.

Metals-  The metals are first shredded into small pieces and then they were melted and after that remolded into new shapes.

Glass- The recycling of glass is the easier they just break it into pieces and then they melt it and recast them.

Plastic- They also follow the same process as plastic. But, the process of plastic recycling is a little bit complex because they have to sort out the different types of plastics. As there is a diverse variety of plastic with different properties.

How Can We Contribute to Recycling?

Almost everything that we use can be recycled whether it is household materials like paper, plastic, metal, glass, furniture, toys, artifacts, vehicles, etc. Besides, opt for things from the market that can easily be recycled. Also, try to use merchandise that is made up of recycled products.

In addition, sort your waste and dump your recyclable waste in the recycle bin so that the authorities can recycle it.

To Sum it up, recycling is a small step by humans to save the environment . But this small step is very effective in the long run. Also, before throwing away the waste we should check it to see if there is a recyclable product in it or not.

FAQs about Essay on Recycling

Q.1 List some benefits of recycling. A.1 There are many benefits to recycling like:

• It reduces the amount of waste produced by us.
• Conserves natural resources such as water, wood, and minerals.
• It prevents the overuse of resources and helps in preserving them.
• In addition, it saves energy.

Q.2 Give an important fact related to recycling. A.2 An important fact can be that recycling reduces the amount of waste which goes to landfills. Also, lesser density in landfill means less amount of methane and other gases is released into the air.

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• Recycling Basics and Benefits

Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. Recycling can benefit your community, the economy, and the environment. Products should only be recycled if they cannot be reduced or reused. EPA promotes the waste management hierarchy , which ranks various waste management strategies from most to least environmentally preferred. The hierarchy prioritizes source reduction and the reuse of waste materials over recycling.

On this page:

Benefits of Recycling

• Recycling System Overview

Challenges to Recycling System

What is being done, environment.

Recycling provides many benefits to our environment. By recycling our materials, we create a healthier planet for ourselves and future generations. 

Conserve natural resources: Recycling reduces the need to extract resources such as timber, water, and minerals for new products.

Climate change: According to the most recent EPA data , the recycling and composting of municipal solid waste (MSW or trash) saved over 193 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2018. 

Energy savings: Recycling conserves energy. For example, recycling just 10 plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours. To estimate how much energy you can save by recycling certain products, EPA developed the individual Waste Reduction Model (iWARM). 

Waste and pollution reduction: Recycling diverts waste away from landfills and incinerators, which reduces the harmful effects of pollution and emissions. 

EPA released significant findings on the economic benefits of the recycling industry with an update to the national Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study in 2020. This study analyzes the numbers of jobs, wages and tax revenues attributed to recycling. The study found that in a single year, recycling and reuse activities in the United States accounted for:

• 681,000 jobs,
• $37.8 billion in wages, and
• $5.5 billion in tax revenues.

This equates to 1.17 jobs per 1,000 tons of materials recycled and $65.23 in wages and $9.42 in tax revenue for every ton of materials recycled. For more information, check out the full report .

Environmental Justice: Across the country, waste management facilities are concentrated in underserved communities, and they can have negative impacts on human health, property values, aesthetic and recreation values, and land productivity. Recycling provides these areas with a healthier and more sustainable alternative.

International: Waste generated in the United States also affects communities in other countries. Recycled materials are exported to some countries that are not able to manage those materials in an environmentally sound manner.  

U.S. Recycling System Overview

The recycling process is made up of three steps that are repeated over and over again. This creates a continuous loop which is represented by the familiar chasing arrows recycling symbol. The three steps of the recycling process are described below.  

Step 1: Collection and Processing

Businesses and consumers generate recyclables that are then collected by either a private hauler or government entity. There are several methods for collecting recyclables, including curbside collection, drop-off centers, and deposit or refund programs. Visit How do I recycle... Common Recyclables for information on specific materials. 

After collection, recyclables are sent to a recovery facility to be sorted, cleaned, and processed into materials that can be used in manufacturing. Recyclables are bought and sold just like raw materials would be, and prices go up and down depending on supply and demand in the United States and around the world.

Step 2: Manufacturing

After processing, recyclables are made into new products at a recycling plant or similar facility. More and more of today's products are being manufactured with recycled content.

Recycled materials are also used in new ways such as recovered glass in asphalt to pave roads or recovered plastic in carpeting and park benches.

Step 3: Purchasing New Products Made from Recycled Materials

You help close the recycling loop by buying new products made from recycled materials. There are thousands of products that contain recycled content. When you go shopping, look for the following:

• Products that can be easily recycled
• Products that contain recycled content

Below are some of the terms used:

• Recycled-content product - The product was manufactured with recycled materials either collected from a recycling program or from waste recovered during the normal manufacturing process. The label will sometimes include how much of the content came from recycled materials.
• Post-consumer content - Very similar to recycled content, but the material comes only from recyclables collected from consumers or businesses through a recycling program.
• Recyclable product - Products that can be collected, processed, and manufactured into new products after they have been used. These products do not necessarily contain recycled materials. Remember not all kinds of recyclables may be collected in your community, so be sure to check with your local recycling program before you buy.

Some common products you can find that are made with recycled content include the following:

• Aluminum cans
• Car bumpers
• Cereal boxes
• Comic books
• Egg cartons
• Glass containers
• Laundry detergent bottles
• Paper towels
• Steel products

While the benefits of recycling are clear, the current system still faces many challenges. 

• Many people are confused about what items can be recycled, where they can be recycled and how. This often leads to recyclables going in the trash or trash going in the recycling bin.
• America’s recycling infrastructure has not kept pace with today’s waste stream. Communication between the manufacturers of new materials and products and the recycling industry needs to be improved to prepare for and optimally manage the recycling of new materials.
• Domestic markets for recycled materials need to be strengthened in the United States. Historically, some of the recycled materials generated in the U.S. have been exported internationally. However, changing international policies have limited the export of materials. Improving communication among the different sectors of the recycling system is needed to strengthen the development of existing materials markets and to develop new innovative markets.
• We need to better integrate recycled materials and end-of-life management into product and packaging designs. 
• More consistent measurement methodologies are necessary to improve recycling system performance. These more standardized metrics can then be used to create effective goals and track progress.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Transforming U.S. Recycling and Waste Management:   The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a historic investment in the health, equity, and resilience of American communities. With unprecedented funding to support state and local waste management infrastructure and recycling programs, EPA will improve health and safety and help establish and increase recycling programs nationwide. 

National Recycling Strategy : EPA developed the National Recycling Strategy with a focus on advancing the national municipal solid waste recycling system. It identifies strategic objectives and actions to create a stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective recycling system.  

Draft Strategy to Prevent Plastics Pollution: This strategy builds upon EPA’s National Recycling Strategy and focuses on actions to reduce, reuse, collect, and capture plastic waste.

America Recycles Day : Every year on November 15, EPA reminds everyone of the importance and impact of recycling through education and outreach.

Basel Convention :  The United States is a signatory to the Basel Convention, but has not yet become a Party to the Convention. The Basel Convention establishes standards for the transboundary movement of various types of waste. 

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• Social Impact

How Does Recycling Help the Environment? (& 10+ Materials to Recycle)

Recycling is great, and we all know it. but, how does recycling help the environment here are the important benefits of recycling..

Why is recycling important? What are the benefits of recycling?

We’ve all heard of the Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle . 

As a slogan, it’s about perfect—it is short, can’t be misunderstood, and has the pleasant ring of alliteration.  

To reduce is to cut down on what is produced and what we consume.

To reuse is to find ways to repurpose items which otherwise are designed to be discarded.

To recycle is to submit items to be broken down into base materials and converted into future products.

Though this catchy phrase makes an easy-to-live-by rule, it only makes us question further. So, in this guide, we’ll look at ways recycling helps the environment. Shortly after, we’ll discuss common materials you can separate and recycle, as well as why those materials are important to recycle.

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How Does Recycling Help the Environment?

Recycling is one of the best ways to fight climate change .

Here are a few ways recycling helps the environment and fight climate change:

1. Recycling Conserves Resources

When we recycle plastic, we reduce the need for more plastic to be manufactured. By recycling paper, we do our part to lessen deforestation and save trees from being cut down . Separating cans and other metals helps to cut down on damaging mining and our growing need for raw materials. 

2. Recycling Saves Energy

It takes much more energy to create industrial-grade materials from scratch than it does just to reform old materials and reuse them. For example, it is estimated that “recycling aluminum saves 90% to 95% of the energy needed to make aluminum from bauxite ore.” Recycling saves energy because recycled materials don’t require factories to expend so much greenhouse gas emissions than they would if they had created the same item again from scratch using raw materials.

Related Read : 15 Earth Day Tips to Support the Environment & Stop Climate Change

3. Recycling Protects the Environment

When we cut down on the amount of new materials and natural resources we need to extract from the earth, whether through farming, mining, logging, etc., we protect vulnerable ecosystems and wildlife from harm or eradication and allow them to exist for generations to come. Recycling materials emits way less greenhouse gases into the environment than primary production.

According to the Inventory of Average Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Denmark, Norway and Sweden , here are the differences in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from primary production vs. production from recycling:

* Unit used is kg CO2-equivalent/kg material.

4. Recycling Slows the Spread of Landfills

In the United States alone, there are 2,000 active landfills all full of solid waste and emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as it all slowly decomposes. This doesn’t account for the many that have been closed due to reaching capacity, or the future landfills that’ll have to be created when the active landfills become land full .

5. Recycling Creates Jobs

That’s right: believe it or not, one of the benefits of recycling is that it actually helps create jobs! A study by Friends of the Earth determined that reaching a 70% home recycle rate would create 51,400 jobs in the United Kingdom alone. In the US, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that reaching a 75% recycling rate nationwide would create 1.5 million new jobs.

6. Recycling Supports the SDGs

Our future and the future of all generations after us depend on sustainable production and consumption. As such, recycling is one of the best ways to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals .

Related Read : 15 Tips for Conserving Water at Home

What Should Be Recycled?

So, we’ve covered some top ways on how recycling helps the environment. 

Here are the most common materials to recycle and how to go about it:

1. Plastics

Plastics are the absolute worst .

Your flimsy plastic grocery bag? It takes 10–20 years to decompose.

That single-use water bottle you bought? It can take up to 450 years to break down in a landfill. 

Other, more durable plastics? Up to 1,000 years!

Plastics are difficult for the environment, sure, but unfortunately they are difficult to recycle, as well. Not all plastics can be recycled, first of all. Then, there are different types of plastics which require varying processes and considerations.

The Resin Identification Coding System ( RIC ) separates plastics into seven different types. These seven types of plastic are:

• Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE or PET)
• High-density polyethylene (HDPE or PE-HD)
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or just V)
• Low-density polyethylene & Linear low-density polyethylene (LDPE & PE-LD)
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Polystyrene (PS)
• Other plastics (OTHER or O)

The number above also corresponds to the recycling number of a plastic, which you can most often find on the bottom of the item, along with an abbreviation (in parentheses above).

When you recycle plastics, you cut down on the long degradation time, while helping to make sustainable new products. According to Weill Cornell Medicine , “recycled plastic bottles are used to make carpet, clothing and even auto parts.” 

Paper products are relatively simple to recycle. 

Depending on your country, city, and district regulations, you may separate all paper together, or separate simple paper products from plastic-coated paper products, such as a Starbucks cup or orange juice carton. In the latter case, this is because it takes special chemicals and an extra step to remove the glue, plastic, and other residue from the paper in order to reuse it.

Glass is just about the longest-lasting man-made material, taking up to 1 million years to degrade in the environment!

If that’s not enough reason to recycle your glass bottles, there’s also the sand loss. Sand is the key ingredient in most glass, but the supplies are dwindling. Yes, believe it or not, sand is not as infinite as you might imagine—in fact, scientists are saying we’re facing a growing sand shortage, some going as far to call it a sand crisis.

The good news is that it’s one of the easier materials to recycle. First, a treatment plant sorts them by colors. Then, they give them a wash and remove stickers and other impurities. Finally, they melt down crushed glass pieces and shape them into new bottles and jars ready for us to purchase again.

Metals must be mined from the earth, which damages the areas and environments those mines are dug. 

Recycling metals can be tricky, as there are dozens of metals. However, the good news for the average person is that most metals can be recycled together, as recycling plants sort them into their respective categories.

5. Organic Materials, Food & Compost

Organic waste such as food is the most biodegradable of the lot. The best way to recycle your own organic waste is to start composting it. Compost is organic material that has broken down, and it may appear to you as rich, dark soil. 

Making compost is simple, and all you need is the passage of time. Then, when you’ve transformed past eggshells and orange peels into nutrient-rich dirt, use it for planting, gardening, or dump it in a public park (check your local laws first!). In some cities, such as New York , brown bins for organic waste are available, since there’s not much room to dispose of compost you create.

6. Electronics

Known as E-waste (short for electronic waste ), this includes all discarded electronic items, whether broken, unwanted, or at the end of their working lives. 

The hard part of recycling electronics comes down to their constituent parts—there are dozens of gadgets and gizmos on the average circuit board, made out of a variety of metals, epoxy, glass, and other materials.

However, the good news is that almost all of the components can be reused. According to the EPA , “for every million cell phones we recycle, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.”

To recycle your used electronics, there are often bins at large retailers, such as Best Buy or Staples, where you can donate. 

7. Batteries

Batteries require special consideration when discarding them, as they contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals which shouldn’t decompose at your average landfill. Though there’s a potential for great harm to the environment should batteries end up there, there is also a lot of value in recycling batteries. 

For the general public, we don’t have to worry too much about the various metals, chemicals, or battery types, such as lithium, alkaline, or zinc. Rather, just as with consumer electronics, there are often used battery receptacles located at many big-box stores around town.

8. Tires & Commercial Rubber

When a tire goes flat or the tread wears off, that’s about it, even though about 99% of the tire remains. Not only is there a lot of waste in this type of waste, but they take up lots of room at landfills, as well, with 75% of their volume being void space.

Many tires, and other commercial rubber materials, are difficult to recycle, so much of them have been burned to get rid of them, even when properly discarded. However, as technology advances, there have also been advances in the materials used for tires, with an increasing amount of biodegradability and reuse potential.

When getting rid of your tires, avoid the landfill. Instead, Google around for a recycling facility which specifically takes care of tires. If they can retread the tire, it could go back on the shelf for you or the next consumer. Otherwise, at least they’ll dispose of it in a way which won’t poison the ground and the creatures around.

Got a little time to kill and some DIY spirit? Here are some fun, funny, and creative ways to recycle your old tires .

9. Clothing & Textiles

Textile recycling, which includes clothing, rags, sheets, curtains, linens, and other similar materials, is a key way to reduce municipal solid waste (MSW). According to the EPA , the US generated 16,890 tons of textiles in 2017, of which just 2,570 tons were recycled.

If they make their way to landfills, clothing and other fibrous materials can take up to several hundred years to break down. But, recycling these textiles helps the environment by skipping the landfill and sending the clothing to plants to be sorted, cleaned, shredded, and respun.

To recycle clothing, check your local mall or retailers, such as H&M, as they often have bins where you can donate your used and unwanted garments. And an added bonus—many often give you a shopping discount for turning in your old clothes! 

10. Fiberboard & Paperboard

First, is there a difference between fiberboard and paperboard? 

Usually, most people use the term cardboard to refer to both items, but there’s a difference, according to some sources (though nothing official). 

Paperboard is thin and formed of one layer, like paper, but thicker, less foldable, and more rigid than paper (think of a greeting card). Corrugated fiberboard is the three-layer kind you may be familiar with in shipping boxes, consisting of two rigid layers sandwiching a wavy middle one for strength.

In some recycling programs, there’s a differentiation between fiberboard recycling and paperboard recycling—some accept paperboard with paper, others accept paperboard with fiberboard separate from paper, and a few want all three to be separated. 

So, to sum up on the benefits of recycling and how recycling helps the environment—well, there are plenty of reasons, as you have seen. From reducing carbon emissions to conserving natural resources, recycling is one of the best ways we can fight climate change.

Have any feedback, questions, or other ways recycling protects the environment? Let us know in the comments below! 

Oh, and if you have any recycling ideas, large or small, share them with the Goodwall community to help it get the visibility, traction, and support it deserves! Not a member of Goodwall yet? Sign up quickly and easily with the links below.

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Hi Christian, I have read your blog about recycling and it is very useful information. I would like to start recycling more as well, as I have a deep passion for marine mammals and planet earth. I am new to this but I’m willing to learn more. I have my own website as well about recycling and was wondering if we can both share each others information to benefit our communities and learn more about how it may be beneficial to many individuals. Please don’t hesitate to reach out! Thanks! 🙂

Working to bring developers, builders and homeowners cutting edge green technology would really help in our advocacy to green living. Informative article. Lets go green!

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How Does Recycling Help Reduce Pollution? 10 Big Ways

How does recycling help reduce pollution in our everyday lives? Join us as we explore the science, benefits, and impact of recycling on our environment.

Ever wondered, how does recycling help reduce pollution? Well, you’re not alone.

It’s a question that’s on the minds of many as we navigate our way through the challenges of climate change.

The good news is, recycling is one of the simplest and most effective ways we can make a difference.

It’s more than just sorting plastics and papers, it’s about transforming our waste into valuable resources, reducing the strain on our planet, and paving the way for a cleaner, healthier future.

So, let’s dive in and explore the world of recycling together!

How Does Recycling Help Reduce Pollution?

Table of Contents

Are you curious about how recycling helps reduce pollution? If so, you’re in the right place!

In this blog post, we’re going to unravel the mystery behind the recycling process, its impact on air and water pollution, and its role in conserving our precious natural resources.

We’ll also share some inspiring case studies of successful recycling programs and provide a handy guide on recycling common items correctly.

Plus, we’ll answer some frequently asked questions about recycling and pollution reduction.

So, buckle up and get ready for an enlightening journey into the world of recycling and its crucial role in making our planet a cleaner, healthier place to live.

Brief Overview of Recycling and Its Importance

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Recycling, at its core, is the process of converting waste materials into new, usable products.

It’s like giving your trash a second chance at life! But it’s not just about reducing waste.

Recycling plays a pivotal role in our global effort to conserve natural resources.

Think about it. Every time we recycle a piece of paper, we’re saving a tree. Every time we recycle plastic bottles, we’re reducing the need for new plastic, which is made from non-renewable resources like oil.

So, in essence, recycling is a small act with a big impact. It’s a simple step that each of us can take toward preserving our planet for future generations.

The Connection Between Recycling and Pollution Reduction

Now, you might be wondering, how does recycling help reduce pollution?

Well, it’s all about the lifecycle of products. When we make new products from raw materials, we have to extract those materials from the earth, transport them, and process them.

Each of these steps requires energy and results in emissions that contribute to air and water pollution.

On the other hand, when we recycle, we’re using materials that have already been processed.

This means we can skip a lot of those energy-intensive, polluting steps.

Plus, recycling keeps waste out of our landfills, reducing the harmful greenhouse gases that are produced when organic waste breaks down.

So, by recycling, we’re not just reducing waste – we’re also helping to keep our air and water clean.

The Science Behind Recycling

Ready to dive a little deeper? Let’s explore the science behind recycling.

It’s not just about separating your glass bottles from your paper products.

There’s a fascinating process that takes place behind the scenes, turning your everyday waste into something new and useful.

From the energy-saving aspects to the intricate processes involved, understanding the science of recycling can give us a greater appreciation for its impact on our world.

So, let’s roll up our sleeves and delve into the nitty-gritty of how recycling works, and why it’s such a crucial part of our fight against pollution.

Explanation of the Recycling Process

Let’s start with the basics. The recycling process begins with you and me.

It starts when we decide to toss our waste into the recycling bin instead of the trash can.

From there, the recyclable materials are collected and taken to recycling centers. Here’s where the magic happens.

At the recycling center, the materials are sorted by type, paper, plastic, glass, and metal.

This is often done with a combination of manual and automated sorting.

Once sorted, each type of material goes through its own specific recycling process.

Take paper, for example. It’s mixed with water to create a pulp, which is then cleaned and screened to remove any non-paper materials.

The cleaned pulp is then de-inked, bleached, and drained to form a mat of fibers. This mat is then pressed and dried to form new paper.

Plastics, on the other hand, are shredded into small flakes, washed to remove any impurities, and then melted down and reshaped into new plastic products.

The Energy-Saving Aspect of Recycling

Now, let’s talk about the energy-saving aspect of recycling.

When we make new products from raw materials, it requires a lot of energy to extract, transport, and process those materials.

But when we recycle, we’re using materials that have already been through that process once.

This means we can skip a lot of those energy-intensive steps.

For instance, did you know that recycling aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy needed to produce new ones from raw materials?

Or that recycling paper uses 60% less energy than making paper from fresh timber?

These savings add up quickly, reducing our overall energy consumption and helping to decrease our carbon footprint.

So, the next time you toss a can or a newspaper into the recycling bin, remember you’re not just reducing waste, you’re also conserving energy and helping to protect our planet.

How Recycling Reduces Air and Water Pollution

Now that we’ve got a handle on the science behind recycling, let’s delve into one of its most significant benefits: reducing air and water pollution.

It’s a topic that’s more important than ever as we grapple with the effects of climate change and seek ways to lessen our impact on the planet.

In this section, we’ll explore how the simple act of recycling can play a major role in keeping our air and water clean.

So, let’s take a closer look at how recycling helps us breathe a little easier and protect our precious water resources.

The Role of Recycling in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Let’s talk about greenhouse gases. These are gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat in our atmosphere, leading to global warming and climate change .

Now, you might be wondering, What does recycling have to do with all this? Well, quite a lot, actually!

When we extract raw materials and manufacture new products, we burn fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

But when we recycle, we’re using materials that have already been processed, so we can skip many of these energy-intensive, greenhouse gas-emitting steps.

Plus, recycling helps keep waste out of landfills. Why is this important?

Well, when organic waste breaks down in a landfill, it produces methane a greenhouse gas that’s over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

By recycling things like paper and food waste, we can reduce the amount of methane being released into our atmosphere.

How Recycling Conserves Water Resources

Now, let’s turn our attention to water. Water is a precious resource, and yet, the manufacturing processes for many of our everyday products use a surprising amount of it.

For instance, did you know it takes about 24 gallons of water to make one pound of plastic? That’s a lot of water!

But here’s where recycling comes in. When we recycle, we’re using materials that have already been processed, so we don’t need as much water to make new products.

For example, recycling paper uses 60% less water than making paper from fresh timber.

So, every time you recycle, you’re not just saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions you’re also helping to conserve our planet’s precious water resources.

Now that’s something to feel good about!

The Impact of Recycling on Landfills and Natural Resources

Let’s shift gears and discuss another crucial aspect of recycling: its impact on landfills and natural resources.

We all know that landfills are not the most pleasant of places, but did you know that recycling can significantly reduce the amount of waste that ends up there?

And that’s not all. Recycling also plays a vital role in conserving our natural resources.

In this section, we’ll delve into how recycling helps us make the most of what we have and minimize our impact on the planet.

So, let’s get started and uncover the ways recycling is making a difference in our world.

How Recycling Reduces the Amount of Waste Going to Landfills

Let’s start with a simple fact: the more we recycle, the less waste ends up in our landfills. It’s as straightforward as that.

But why does this matter? Well, landfills are not just unsightly; they’re also a source of environmental problems.

They take up valuable land, can contaminate soil and groundwater, and emit harmful gases as organic waste breaks down.

When we recycle, we’re giving our waste a new life instead of letting it languish in a landfill.

That plastic bottle you toss into the recycling bin could end up as part of a new plastic product, and the paper you recycle could be turned into tomorrow’s newspaper.

By recycling, we’re not just reducing the amount of waste we produce; we’re also helping to keep our landfills from overflowing.

The Role of Recycling in Conserving Natural Resources

Now, let’s talk about our natural resources. These are things like water, minerals, and trees that we use to make the products we use every day.

The problem is, many of these resources are finite. Once we use them up, they’re gone for good.

This is where recycling comes in. When we recycle, we’re using materials that have already been extracted and processed.

This means we can make new products without needing to extract more raw materials.

For example, recycling paper saves trees, and recycling metal means we don’t have to mine for more ore.

So, by recycling, we’re not just reducing waste and keeping our landfills under control.

We’re also helping to conserve our planet’s precious natural resources. And that’s something we can all feel good about!

Case Studies of Successful Recycling Programs

Now that we’ve explored the science and benefits of recycling, let’s take a look at it in action.

Across the globe, there are numerous examples of successful recycling programs that have made a significant impact on reducing pollution and conserving resources.

These case studies serve as powerful reminders of what we can achieve when we commit to recycling.

In this section, we’ll highlight some of these inspiring stories, showcasing the difference that recycling can make in our communities and our world.

So, let’s dive in and see what happens when we put the power of recycling to work!

Examples of Successful Recycling Programs and Their Impact on Pollution Reduction

Let’s take a global tour of some successful recycling programs and see the impact they’ve made on reducing pollution.

San Francisco, USA: Known for its commitment to sustainability, San Francisco has one of the highest recycling rates in the world, with over 80% of its waste being recycled or composted.

This has significantly reduced the amount of waste going to landfills and has cut down on the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Sweden: Sweden has taken recycling to the next level by importing waste from other countries to convert it into energy.

This innovative approach not only keeps waste out of landfills but also provides a renewable source of energy for the country.

South Korea: South Korea has implemented a rigorous food waste recycling program.

By turning food waste into compost, animal feed, and biofuel, the country has significantly reduced the amount of waste going to landfills and the greenhouse gases that would be produced.

Taiwan: Once known as Garbage Island, Taiwan now boasts a recycling rate of over 50%.

The country’s comprehensive recycling program, which includes everything from electronics to kitchen waste, has dramatically reduced the amount of waste going to landfills and has conserved natural resources.

These are just a few examples of how recycling programs can make a significant impact on pollution reduction. Each of these programs shows that with commitment and innovation, recycling can play a major role in creating a more sustainable future.

Common Recyclables and How to Recycle Them Correctly

As we continue our journey into the world of recycling, let’s take a moment to focus on the everyday items we all use.

From the morning newspaper to the plastic water bottle you grab on your way to the gym, many of the items we use daily can be recycled.

But knowing what can be recycled and how to recycle it correctly is key to making the process effective.

In this section, we’ll provide a handy guide to recycling common items, ensuring that they end up in the right place and get a new lease on life.

So, let’s get started and learn how to recycle like a pro!

A Guide to Recycling Common Items Like Paper, Plastics, Glass, and Aluminum

Let’s break down the basics of recycling some of the most common items we encounter in our daily lives.

Paper: This includes newspapers, magazines, mail, and cardboard. Before recycling, remove any plastic wrappers or liners and flatten boxes to save space.

Remember, wet or soiled paper should not be recycled as it can contaminate the recycling process.

Plastics: Not all plastics are created equal. Check the bottom of your plastic items for the recycling symbol with a number inside.

This number indicates the type of plastic and whether it can be recycled. Most recycling programs accept plastics #1 (like water bottles) and #2 (like milk jugs), but check with your local program to be sure.

Glass: Glass bottles and jars can often be recycled, but it’s important to separate them by color if required by your local program.

Also, remember that not all glass items can be recycled. Things like window glass, mirrors, and light bulbs have different properties and should not be mixed with glass containers.

Aluminum: This includes beverage cans, food tins, and foil. Rinse these items to remove any food residue before recycling. Aluminum is highly recyclable and can be reused indefinitely without losing quality.

Remember, recycling rules can vary by location, so it’s always a good idea to check with your local recycling program to make sure you’re recycling correctly.

And when in doubt, it’s better to throw it out. Incorrectly recycling items can contaminate the recycling stream and cause more harm than good.

By recycling these common items correctly, we can all play a part in reducing waste, conserving resources, and protecting our planet. So, let’s get recycling!

FAQs: How Recycling Helps Reduce Pollution

As we near the end of our exploration into recycling, it’s time to address some common questions.

After all, understanding is the first step toward action. In this section, we’ll tackle frequently asked questions about how recycling helps reduce pollution.

From the impact on our oceans to the overall benefits for our environment, we’ll provide clear, concise answers to help you deepen your understanding of this vital process.

So, let’s dive into these FAQs and shed some light on the ins and outs of recycling and pollution reduction.

Q: How much pollution does recycling save?

A: The exact amount of pollution saved by recycling can vary depending on the material being recycled.

For instance, recycling aluminum cans saves 95% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to producing new cans from raw materials.

Overall, recycling significantly reduces the need for extracting, refining, and processing raw materials, all of which produce substantial air and water pollution.

Q: How does recycling help the environment overall?

A: Recycling helps the environment in several ways.

It reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals, prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials, and saves energy.

Additionally, recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.

Q: Does recycling help ocean pollution?

A: Yes, recycling can help reduce ocean pollution. Much of the waste that ends up in our oceans is plastic, which can harm marine life and ecosystems.

By recycling plastics, we can reduce the amount of new plastic being produced and the likelihood of plastic waste ending up in our oceans.

Q: What are 10 benefits of recycling?

A: Here are 10 Benefits of Recycling

1. Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators.

2. Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals.

3. Prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials.

4. Saves energy.

5. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.

6. Helps sustain the environment for future generations.

7. Helps create new well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries.

8. Saves money in some cases (some recycling programs offer cash back).

9. Reduces the need for new materials, leading to less habitat destruction.

10. Encourages innovation in recyclable and recycled products.

Does Recycling Help Reduce Pollution Final Thoughts

As we wrap up our deep dive into the world of recycling, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve learned and consider the steps we can take moving forward.

We’ve explored the science behind recycling, its impact on reducing pollution, and the many benefits it brings to our environment.

But understanding is just the first step. The real change happens when we put that knowledge into action.

In this concluding section, we’ll recap the importance of recycling and encourage each one of us to play our part in this vital process.

So, let’s take a moment to reflect and look ahead to a greener, cleaner future.

Recap of the Importance of Recycling in Reducing Pollution

As we’ve explored throughout this article, recycling plays a crucial role in reducing pollution and conserving our natural resources.

From reducing greenhouse gas emissions to conserving water and energy, recycling helps mitigate many of the environmental challenges we face today.

It’s a simple act that has a profound impact. By recycling, we’re not just managing our waste; we’re actively contributing to a cleaner, healthier planet.

Call to Action Encouraging Readers to Recycle

Now, it’s over to you. Armed with this knowledge, you have the power to make a difference.

Remember, every piece of paper, every can, and every plastic bottle you recycle contributes to this global effort.

So, let’s make a commitment, not just for ourselves, but for future generations.

Let’s recycle, reduce, and reuse.

Let’s make every day a recycling day and work together to create a sustainable future.

Because every little bit counts, and together, we can make a world of difference.

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The impact of recycling on climate change

When considering climate change mitigation and reducing your carbon footprint, you probably think of driving less and turning out the lights. But did you know that organic and inorganic waste is also a massive contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions? A zero-waste lifestyle keeps material out of landfills and reduces your carbon footprint. 

The benefits of recycling 

As climate change and waste are ever-growing problems worldwide, it is essential to understand how these two significant issues affect each other. Recycling helps combat the climate crisis by limiting the use of raw materials and reducing waste going into landfills.  

Project Drawdown estimates that recycling between 2020 and 2050 will reduce emissions by 5.5 to 6.02 gigatons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking over one billion cars off the streets for one year. Recycling is a practical yet easy change to help curb greenhouse gas emissions and limit the climate crisis. 

• When an item is recycled, it is processed and turned into something new rather than created out of virgin material or disposed of and treated as waste in a landfill.  
• Recycling to create something new generally uses less energy than creating a product from raw materials. 
• Recycling aluminum is incredibly energy efficient. Using aluminum scraps to make aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy used to create an aluminum can from raw materials. Producing 40 aluminum cans requires the amount of energy in one gallon of gasoline and can be significantly decreased by using recycled aluminum scraps.  
• The less energy used to produce a good, the fewer greenhouse gases are emitted in the process. This benefits climate change, as greenhouse gas emissions drive the current climate crisis. 

How to positively impact climate change through recycling 

You can make a difference in reducing climate change by making recycling an integral part of your lifestyle and routine. 

• Buy products made from recycled materials. This will support the market for recycled items and encourage the continued recycling of materials and the production of items made from recycled materials.  
• Recycle everything that you can. Learn what is recyclable.  
• Limit the number of disposable items you purchase in the first place to reduce the production of disposable items . 
• Swap out disposable items for reusable items . Switch to reusable water bottles, shopping bags, food storage containers and other reusable products. 

Upcycled vs. downcycled materials 

There are many pathways for recycled products. Turning an item into a new version of the same product is ideal when possible. Other options include turning the recycled material into new products. 

Upcycling turns a recycled material into something of equal or greater value or quality than the original product. Sometimes, the term upcycling refers to the reuse of an item instead of throwing it away. Upcycling lengthens the life of a given material. Industrial upcycling depends on the materials. Here are some easy-to-upcycle materials. 

• Paper: Recycled office paper is upcycled as new office paper. Paper is also downcycled and turned into toilet paper, paper towels and notebook paper, generally because of contamination and lack of adequate sorting. 
• Cardboard: Recycled cardboard may become new cardboard. When downcycled, it becomes paper bags, packaging or paperboard. 
• Metals: Recycled aluminum cans can become new aluminum cans, and recycled steel cans will turn into steel cans. When downcycled, metal can become bike or car parts, appliances, rebar and other metal products. 

Downcycling turns a product into a different product, but the cycle is not infinitely repeatable. An example of downcycling is when a plastic bottle gets turned into a fleece jacket. PET plastics, like soda bottles, are hard to recycle infinitely because when they become a new product, the plastic gets weaker each time. Virgin materials also often have to be added to the new product to account for the weakening that the recycling process causes.  

Some materials are challenging to upcycle or downcycle and often end up in landfills. However, you can repurpose some items to keep them out of landfills. Here are examples of materials that are hard to recycle. 

• Plastic bags: Plastic bags cannot be put in a regular recycling bin, making collection more complex. Also, the material used for plastic bags is generally hard to recycle. 
• Electronics: Electronics contain toxins such as lead and mercury, which can make them more dangerous to recycle. Collection is often an issue as curbside recycling companies don’t accept electronics. You must take electronics to a special facility for recycling.  
• Styrofoam (or polystyrene): Products made from Styrofoam are typically contaminated with food and have an incredibly low density. Because of this incredibly low density, it is not cost-effective to transport polystyrene because it takes up a lot of space and offers very little recyclable material. 

The climate impact of waste disposal 

Different types of waste impact the environment differently. However, all items placed in a landfill negatively impact the environment. 

• Organic waste decomposes and creates carbon dioxide and methane gas. Methane is produced when no air is present, while carbon dioxide is the natural product when anything rots in the air. 
• Inorganic waste includes products made from natural resources such as water, fuel, metal and timber, which causes greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide and other pollutants.  
• Plastic waste produces greenhouse gas emissions during every stage of its lifecycle. Plastic extraction and transportation depend on oil, gas and coal. The production and disposal of plastics release tons of carbon emissions.  

The waste management process, including transportation and incineration, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. 

Start recycling   

Recycling is easy in Boulder, both on campus and in the community. With plentiful recycling bins and curbside pickup, you can choose to live sustainably by recycling. You can learn more about ways to incorporate sustainable habits through the Environmental Center .  

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Energy & Climate Justice

Is Recycling Good for the Environment? Essay

Waste landfills, saving energy, works cited.

Nowadays, we hear a lot about the need to recycle. Global environmental problems have become the issues of the day. Global warming, depletion of ozone layer, deforestation, and natural resources diminishing rapidly are among the most pressing environmental problems to date. Over the recent years, many international environmental summits have been held.

Organizations such as Greenpeace are struggling to convince the world that it is necessary to think about the future of our planet and what state will we leave it in for our children and grandchildren. However, along with collective effort undertaken by the global community, it is necessary for each person to contribute. Proper waste disposal is one of the ways to do that. Recycling is good for the environment and should be included in the daily routine of any person that cares about the planet and the future of our children.

Recycling reduces waste sent to landfills, thereby contributing to a safer and healthier environment. Large areas of waste landfills are a serious ecological concern. Consumerism and low level of environmental awareness of the contemporary society lead to an unreasonable amount of trash left at landfills. Moreover, a slow decomposition rate aggravates the problem, with the landfills surface areas increasing rapidly over the recent years (“15 Ways to Reduce Landfill Waste” para. 1). By recycling on a daily basis, we can decrease the amount of waste that ends up covering large planet surfaces.

Plastic and glass packaging, as well as aluminum containers, can be easily recycled by anyone. All we have to do is keep a recycle bin at home, where we can separate glass, paper, plastic, aluminum, metal, and other types of packaging. Recycling stations are in nearly every town in the U.S. Moreover, buying products that are made from recycled waste is an equally reasonable idea that will help reduce the landfills area, thereby contributing to a safer and healthier environment.

Recycling is a way to save energy. Manufacturing new products out of old ones ensures a reduced use of natural resources such as fossil fuels. While manufacturing various things using new materials is a significant burden for the environment, recycling approach allows the manufacturers to save energy on extraction and processing of the materials. “By recycling just 1 ton of aluminum cans, we conserve more than 207 million Btu, the equivalent of 36 barrels of oil or 1,665 gallons of gasoline.” (“How Does Recycling Save Energy?” para. 2).

Utilizing recycled resources always saves a certain amount of energy that is helpful for the environment, even though the recycled materials may vary. Environmental organizations develop calculation instruments to demonstrate how much energy one household can save by committing to recycling. These tools show how much energy is saved by recycling plastic, aluminum, glass, and other products, and how it correlates with the energy used to power the electrical appliances used in a typical household. Thus, it is evident that recycling helps save the environment by reducing the use of energy and natural resources.

The global environmental problems that we face today are a serious concern for the international community. Recycling is one of the solutions that can help reduce the damage inflicted on the planet by human activities. The global collaborative effort aimed at reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and stopping global warming are not enough to improve the situation. The contribution should be made on an individual level of every household and every society member. Recycling is an easy way for everyone to contribute. By recycling paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, and other materials each of us can help bring about change that is crucial to a safer and healthier environment.

“ 15 Easy Ways to Reduce Landfill Waste. ” Conserve Energy Future. n.d. Web.

“ How Does Recycling Save Energy? ” American Geosciences Institute. n.d. Web.

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IvyPanda . "Is Recycling Good for the Environment?" April 11, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/is-recycling-good-for-the-environment/.

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7 benefits of recycling

We need to drastically improve our recycling habits at home, in schools and in our workplaces.  

The UK government has a target to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035 but we've got a long way to go to reach that goal – currently, the UK's recycling rate is about 45%. 

We need to remember that recycling is crucial to the future health of our planet. Here are 7 reasons why...

1. Conserves  natural resources

The world's natural resources are finite, and some are in very short supply.

At a basic level:

• Recycling paper and wood  saves trees and forests. Yes, you can plant new trees, but you can't replace virgin rainforest or ancient woodlands once they're lost. 
• Recycling plastic means creating less new plastic , which is definitely a good thing, especially as it's usually made from fossil fuel hydrocarbons.
• Recycling metals means there's less need for risky, expensive and damaging mining and extraction of new metal ores.
• Recycling glass reduces the need to use new raw materials like sand – it sounds hard to believe, but supplies of some types of sand are starting to get low around the world.

2. Protects ecosystems and wildlife

Recycling reduces the need to grow, harvest or extract new raw materials from the Earth.

That in turn lessens the harmful disruption and damage being done to the natural world: fewer forests cut down, rivers diverted, wild animals harmed or displaced, and less pollution of water, soil and air. 

And of course if our plastic waste isn't safely put in the recycling, it can be blown or washed into rivers and seas and end up hundreds or thousands of miles away, polluting coastlines and waterways and becoming a problem for everyone. 

3. Reduces demand for raw materials

The world's increasing demand for new stuff has led to more of the poorest and most vulnerable people (for example, those living around forests or river systems) being displaced from their homes, or otherwise exploited. Forest communities can find themselves evicted as a result of the search for cheap timber and rivers can be damned or polluted by manufacturing waste.

It's far better to recycle existing products than to damage someone else's community or land in the search for new raw materials.

4. S aves energy  

Making products from recycled materials requires less energy than making them from new raw materials. Sometimes it's a huge difference in energy. For example:

• Producing new aluminium from old products (including recycled cans and foil) uses 95% less energy than making it from scratch. For steel it's about a 70% energy saving.
• Making paper from pulped recycled paper uses 40% less energy than making it from virgin wood fibres. 
• The amount of energy saved from recycling one glass bottle could power an old 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours and a new low-energy LED equivalent for a lot longer.

5. Cuts climate-changing carbon emissions

Because recycling means you need to use less energy on sourcing and processing new raw materials, it produces lower carbon emissions. It also keeps potentially methane-releasing waste out of landfill sites.  

Reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere is vital for stopping disastrous climate change.

6. Cheaper than waste collection and disposal

Lambeth council in London pointed out that "it is 6 times cheaper to dispose of recycled waste than general refuse." So, the more you recycle, and the less you put in the bin, the more money is saved, which should be good for households, businesses and local public services.

Recycling food waste and green waste is a great idea too, often generating lots of valuable compost that can be used to grow more food and other crops. 

7. Tackles youth unemployment 

There are over 500,000 young people aged 16-24 out of work.  

Instead of propping up declining, polluting industries, the government must future-proof livelihoods by investing in more green jobs .

Right now, young people are being taught and given careers advice on jobs that may not even exist in 10 years' time. We're setting them up to fail where we could be training them to succeed .

If in doubt, remember those three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The truth is we all need to get into the habit of using less stuff  in the first place. And the things we do use ought to be reused as much as possible before being recycled, to minimise waste .

This would significantly aid the response to the global waste management challenge, which has seen many countries in the Global South unfairly shoulder the responsibility of managing the waste of countries in the Global North. The question of what to do with waste is one that governments cannot ignore. 

It's important that we combine our efforts to manage our waste with increased calls for tougher government action on reducing plastic waste.

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• How Does Recycling Help the Environment?

The global population has been increasing at an unprecedented rate, which has in turn also caused an increase in the creation of waste on our planet. Recycling is the process of turning waste into usable materials that are to be used again. Examples of the waste that can be recycled includes metals (such as aluminum and steel), glass, paper, and plastic. With proper implementation, recycling has the capacity to reduce the use of natural resources and therefore reduce the already-devastating human degradation of the environment. The recycling of both biodegradable materials as well as non-biodegradable materials is possible.

Some natural resources used by humans are non-renewable, including oil and coal. Recycling these products is a critical link in order to prevent the overconsumption of these resources. Recycling is both significant to people as well as to the environment. It helps reduce the need for mining, quarrying and logging. These are all activities that harshly pollute the air and water of our planet. Recycling also saves energy and reduces greenhouse gases. All of these things cumulate to help combat climate change, which helps preserve the planet for future generations.

How to Recycle

Most cities and towns around the world have a location set aside for use of landfills, where the waste produced within the city is dumped. The waste dumped in landfills becomes an environmental hazard over time by emitting greenhouse gasses and allowing toxins to steep into the soil and water table.

As much as 7% of the waste that the average person throws out daily could instead be recycled and turned into objects such as park benches, picnic tables, or high-chairs. Recycling is made possible to the general public in three ways, depending on where the individual lives. These methods are curbside collection, buy-back centers, and drop-off centers.

• Curbside collection is sorted by the individual in their home before it is picked up by a waste collection vehicle. It used to be ideal to sort all different types of recycling before it was picked up by trash collection. However, increases in sorting technology means that this is no longer the case in most communities.
• Buy-back centers are a place where cleaned recycled materials are purchased, which serves as an incentive for the general populace to recycle. These centers usually do have to be funded through government subsidies as they themselves are not profitable.
• Drop-off centers exist so that those who wish to recycle can drive their own materials to the centers in order for them to be processed.

Manufacturing of items using raw materials is actually usually more expensive than using recycled materials. Another line of thinking is the reduction in energy cost which also has an undeniable economic impact. The manufacturing of metals from natural ores consumes colossal amounts of electricity, and this is most evident in aluminum whose raw production consumes 90% more energy than recycled aluminum.

The recycling industry has become an important source of income for many entrepreneurs who have in turn become job creators with the industry employing as much as 14,000 people in the state of Ohio while the state of California injects $10 billion in its economy through waste recycling and management every year. Some countries face an extreme shortage of natural resources and therefore rely on recycling local and imported waste for production of commodities such as paper in countries such as Japan, China and South Korea. By 2014, EU had about 50% of world share of waste and recycling industries, with more than 6,000 companies employing 0.5 million people and having a turnover of €24 billion.

The recycling industry is a lucrative injecting as much as $236 billion in the US economy, but it has faced a few challenges in recent years. The main issue has been the drop in the global crude oil prices which in turn have made plastic made using crude oil cheaper than with recycled plastic. Levels of public awareness and government involvement can also play a factor in the recycling rate within a community.

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How can recycling impact a community?

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Key Takeaways

• Recycling programs increase community participation in sustainable practices, leading to more materials being recycled rather than incinerated or dumped in landfills.
• Recycling reduces the production of methane from landfills, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Recycling stimulates the local economy by creating jobs in the sorting and processing of recyclables, which is more labor-intensive than waste disposal.

Lots of people consider recycling to be kind of a no-brainer, something we all should do. It’s good for the environment, it re-uses materials rather than creates new ones, it reduces landfills -- the list goes on and on. But one major benefit that people often overlook is the impact recycling programs can have on a community.

For one thing, recycling programs encourage people to (you guessed it) recycle. When your town doesn’t have a built-in way to recycle and you have to go out of your way to do it, are you more or less likely to make it happen? The easier it is for community members to recycle, the more likely they are to do so. Therefore, if a community invests in a solid and reliable recycling infrastructure, more materials will ultimately be recycled rather than incinerated or put in a landfill -- both of which have harmful environmental effects.

Landfills are a primary contributor to the greenhouse gas output of the United States. Decomposing garbage generates methane, which is about twenty times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. So, all the stuff we throw in landfills has a direct effect on global warming, which makes recycling sound like a pretty good idea.

Recycling programs also contribute to the overall health and well-being of a community. Sustainable companies, or corporations that use recycled materials, will be more likely to establish ties or open up branches in a town that has a vested interest in recycling. Fewer landfills means better property values, as well as the knowledge that your community is actually working to mitigate global warming. Communities that actively recycle send the message that they really do care about the environment.

All altruism aside, recycling can stimulate your local economy in a big way. Preparing material for recycling is much more labor-intensive than incineration or landfilling. The recyclables have to be sorted and then processed according to type, whereas non-recycled trash doesn't undergo any kind of specialized processing. In fact, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance reports that industries engaged in sorting and processing recyclable material employ 10 times more people than traditional waste disposal firms do. The recycling process has a lot of steps, and the more of those steps you have locally, the more jobs you create in your community. And, of course, those jobs help stimulate the local economy, in terms of both individual and corporate buying power.

So, how can your community’s recycling program improve? For one, you can contact your local government and make sure it has a good understanding of the recycling process. Try to communicate openly with the people in your area. You might find a way to help your neighborhood, your local economy and your planet all in one go.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can individuals contribute to their community's recycling efforts, what can local governments do to improve recycling rates in their communities, lots more information, related articles.

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• Aceti Associates. “Recycling: Why People Do It; Why They Don’t.” Commonwealth of Massachusetts Website. Dec. 30, 2002. (May 28, 2010) http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reduce/crbdrop.pdf
• Campaign for Recycling. “How Does Recycling Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?” (May 31, 2010) http://www.jgpress.com/archives/_free/000552.html
• Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Waste to Wealth: Recycling Means Business.” 2006. (May 31, 2010) http://www.ilsr.org/recycling/recyclingmeansbusiness.html
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Methane.” March 5, 2010. (May 31, 2010) http://www.epa.gov/methane/scientific.html
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4. “Municipal Government Toolkit.” Dec. 1, 2008. (May 31, 2010) http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/rcra/mgtoolkit/improving.html
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4. “Recycling: A Component of Strong Community Development.” Dec. 1, 2008. (May 31, 2010) http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/rcra/mgtoolkit/Community.html

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The Environmental Benefits of Recycling and its Importance – Evaluation Essay

In my essay, I evaluate the environmental benefits of recycling and its importance on our future. After all, there is now scientific evidence showing that global warming may be irreversible within 15 years, which means the world will start warming up non-stop until all life on earth is dead. Here I evaluate the environmental benefits of recycling and how this may help slow the global warming. Slowing global warming would be a good thing, as it will soon destroy the earth.

Recycling protects the environment. It means that fewer resources are needed to create products, which means less pollution and less decimation of our natural world. On the flip side, recycling is not always economically viable, which means a company or a person must do it without any financial reward, and since most people are motivated by money–it is safe to say that recycling is not a top priority for most people.

Recycled products may not last as long, but that argument has severe flaws. The quality of an item usually depends on the production/manufacture process and not the materials. For example, a consumer item may easily be created using high quality materials and yet be of a very poor quality. The reverse is also true, however, the fact that recycled products may (sometimes) be of a lower quality is a point against recycling. However, there are many times when the energy saved through recycling means that creating more than one through recycling saves enough energy and materials to make two products for the same energy/materials cost of making one from new. This means the process of recycling means even lower quality items are worth making because they can easily be replaced without excess energy/materials being spent/used.

There are many items that are not safe to recycle and many that are unhygienic to recycle. This means that some items may never be recycled both now and in the near future. On the flip side, there are a lot of products and materials that can be recycled, and the amount of pollution they save is massive. If there were a way of making unsafe and unhygienic things so that they may be recycled, then the reduction of pollution would extend even further.

Recycling is not widespread enough, and as long as there is no financial benefit to recycling it is unlikely that it will be widespread. This is a shame because there are financial benefits that will benefit the entire community and country. For example, less space in landfills means less need for taxes to pay for them. There is also the fact that more green jobs means more money in the pocket of the general public. More green jobs will also help the economy, which is going to help people lead better and healthier lives.

To conclude my evaluation, I find that recycling is obviously very important if we wish to slow the destruction of this planet. We need to do more to increase the amount of recycling that goes on in our country. We also need to find ways of recycling items that are unhygienic and/or unsafe.

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How Useful Is Recycling, Really?

Among all possible climate actions, recycling ranks pretty low in its impact.

One of the few things Americans largely agree on is recycling. This simple act is popular with Democrats, Republicans, free-market diehards, and environmental advocates alike, data consistently show. And among recycling enthusiasts, one group is particularly keen—people already concerned about climate change.

This makes a certain intuitive sense, as recycling has well-documented benefits for the planet and can reduce carbon emissions. Still, as climate actions go, even the most committed recyclers caution that this one has clear limits.

“There are a lot of climate benefits to bolstering the recycling system,” Beth Porter, the author of Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine: Sorting Out the Recycling System , told me. “But we also have to acknowledge that recycling is not among the highest-priority actions.”

Recycling does have value. It is one of the easier climate-friendly acts individuals can undertake, and it reduces the extraction of virgin materials. “Any time you use renewable resources, or secondary resources, there’s less carbon emitted than if you use primary resources,” Adam Minter, the author of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade , an insider’s account of the international recycling business, told me.

Read: Is this the end of recycling?

Despite the carbon involved in collection, transport, and processing, recycled aluminum, for example, is about 95 percent less energy-intensive to forge than its raw alternative. Project Drawdown, a nonprofit group that conducts reviews of climate solutions, includes recycling in its recommendations for reining in emissions. But when the group analyzed more than 80 separate means that could help keep the world from passing the oft-cited threshold of 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius of warming, the recycling industry ’s projected contributions fell below the median, trailing geothermal power, efficient aviation, forest protection, and dozens of other actions.

Project Drawdown’s list centers on strategies that are feasible to adopt and have room for growth within the existing market. It gives more weight to solutions such as onshore wind turbines for that reason. The recommendations also account for recycling’s tricky relationship with waste reduction—on its face, waste reduction alone saves much more in emissions. If 1 million metric tons of waste are landfilled, direct emissions equal about 274,000 tons of CO 2 -equivalent, Miranda Gorman, a senior fellow with the group, explained to me. Not sending items for disposal avoids creating those emissions. Recycling is more complex, because the process itself consumes energy and resources. But it still reduces the use of virgin feedstocks, which Project Drawdown estimates can save up to an additional 2 million tons of CO 2 -equivalent. Both are ultimately needed, the group says.

“We analyze the impact of the integrated system as a whole, and all of the solutions are interconnected,” Gorman said.

Read: The dangerous pile-up of artificial turf

For recycling to truly make an impact, however, it needs to be more effective. In 2018, national rates had dipped to 32 percent of total municipal waste, according to the most recent data available from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—out of almost 300 million tons of waste generated that year, only 69 million tons were recycled. Paper and paperboard are among the more recycled materials, while glass has stagnated at about 25 percent. Plastics recycling rates remain under 10 percent.

Americans might want to recycle, but a constant influx of new and hard-to-manage materials in the waste stream poses ongoing problems for facilities with aging infrastructure. This can be compounded by a lack of education and standardization: Recycling programs differ wildly, and people are often so enthusiastic about recycling, they toss items into a bin without verifying that they can, in fact, be recycled.

That last problem is sometimes called “wish-cycling.” If a municipal program receives a particular item that it cannot accept, it is subsequently hauled elsewhere for disposal, creating emissions and contributing to the waste stream. Such practices, Minter noted, underscore the gap between the public’s good intentions and recycling’s real capacity.

“People just really want a way out of their consumption that doesn’t make them feel bad,” he said.

But recycling does ultimately play a role in emissions reduction, and in recent years the industry, too, has leaned into its clear climate benefits.

“Landfills create methane, a serious climate bad actor, and the less that goes into the landfill, the better,” Keefe Harrison, the CEO of The Recycling Partnership (TRP), told me. “From a system point of view, recycling protects the climate by keeping natural habitats in place, limiting the need for carbon-intensive harvesting of virgin natural resources.”

Read: A new way of thinking about climate change

A national nonprofit, TRP focuses on building public-private partnerships to boost recycling, powered by a group of funders, including Coca-Cola, the American Chemistry Council, and Burt’s Bees. Like others in the space, TRP’s message often centers on “circularity” and the idea of an economy that operates in a renewing cycle rather than on a linear path that culminates in disposal.

Climate change is a key part of that message. Since its beginning in 2014, Harrison said, TRP's work has helped prevent the emission of about 251,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, in addition to diverting more than 230 million tons of recyclables from landfills. And the group thinks that more emissions reductions are possible: In a 2020 report , TRP found that only about half of Americans have access to curbside pickup, and that many who do have access don’t fully participate.

That has led to the inverse of wish-cycling—items are being thrown away that could be recycled. Curbside recycling currently recovers only about 32 percent of what is available in single-family homes, according to TRP. If the remainder were recycled each year, based on calculations through the EPA’s Waste Reduction Model , which determines emissions savings stemming from waste-management practices, TRP has found that "would also reduce U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 96 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent," Harrison said.

Although industry forces see recycling as a key climate tool, others are more skeptical, including Jan Dell, a chemical engineer and founder of the Last Beach Cleanup. The chief focus of her criticism is a common one: plastics.

“Companies actively use recycling as a distraction and an excuse,” Dell told me. She sees many corporate recycling pledges as a means of evading actual climate action.

Environmental advocates maintain that plastics are largely single-use: A 2020 Greenpeace USA survey found that plastics with resin codes #3–7 are virtually impossible to recycle, because of limited facility processing capabilities and insufficient market demand. Lawsuits are currently ongoing against Walmart and Keurig Green Mountain , arguing that those companies have violated Federal Trade Commission guidance by presenting plastic items as recyclable. The corporate giants have defended themselves against the allegations and emphasized their commitment to sustainability. (Walmart said in a statement that the company is “a strong advocate for the environment” and recycling, while Keurig has maintained in court that its labels advise consumers to “check locally” regarding recycling options.)

Other industry groups and corporations have also strongly disputed Greenpeace’s report and broader thesis. Some are members of the U.S. Plastics Pact , a large-scale voluntary effort driven by TRP and other groups that aims to achieve 100 percent reusable, recyclable, or compostable plastic packaging by 2025, among several other goals. Their focus is creating a market for plastics that keeps them in circulation, rather than dooming them to disposal.

Critics say focusing on getting hard-to-recycle materials out of the recycling system altogether would do more to curb climate and environmental issues. Dell suggested going back to “core four” recyclables (cardboard, plastic bottles, glass bottles, and aluminum cans), since items such as plastic film and bags are notorious for burdening recycling facilities. But she also cited the Jevons paradox, the economic idea that increasing the efficiency of a resource’s use also increases its consumption. Rather than prioritizing fixing recycling, she said, people should place greater emphasis on scaling back their waste to begin with.

Others agree that a reliance on mass-producing virgin materials poses a far bigger climate threat than limited recycling access, or habits such as wish-cycling. Minter said that some Western countries could benefit from looking to other parts of the world where, by economic necessity, people have formed better habits around recirculating resources. Porter, too, worries that recycling can perpetuate consumption and waste. A reliance on recycling, she said, can draw attention away from prioritizing “reduce and reuse,” which do far more to lower emissions.

“I don't want people to think that what they do as an individual doesn’t matter,” she said, but added that “we won't recycle our way out of this crisis.”

That doesn't mean giving up on recycling; instead, Porter advised thinking of it as a key part of materials-management efforts, rather than a singular solution to climate change. In essence, people should keep their enthusiasm for recycling alive and active—but they shouldn’t stop there.

​When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

Conserving Earth

Earth’s natural resources include air, water, soil, minerals, plants, and animals. Conservation is the practice of caring for these resources so all living things can benefit from them now and in the future.

Biology, Ecology, Earth Science, Geography, Geology, Conservation

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Earth ’s natural resources include air , water , soil , minerals , fuels , plants, and animals. Conservation is the practice of caring for these resources so all living things can benefit from them now and in the future. All the things we need to survive , such as food , water, air, and shelter , come from natural resources. Some of these resources, like small plants, can be replaced quickly after they are used. Others, like large trees, take a long time to replace. These are renewable resources . Other resources, such as fossil fuels , cannot be replaced at all. Once they are used up, they are gone f orever . These are nonrenewable resources . People often waste natural resources. Animals are overhunted . Forests are cleared, exposing land to wind and water damage. Fertile soil is exhausted and lost to erosion because of poor farming practices. Fuel supplies are depleted . Water and air are polluted . If resources are carelessly managed, many will be used up. If used wisely and efficiently , however, renewable resources will last much longer. Through conservation, people can reduce waste and manage natural resources wisely. The population of human beings has grown enormously in the past two centuries. Billions of people use up resources quickly as they eat food, build houses, produce goods, and burn fuel for transportation and electricity . The continuation of life as we know it depends on the careful use of natural resources. The need to conserve resources often conflicts with other needs. For some people, a wooded area may be a good place to put a farm. A timber company may want to harvest the area’s trees for construction materials. A business may want to build a factory or shopping mall on the land. All these needs are valid, but sometimes the plants and animals that live in the area are forgotten. The benefits of development need to be weighed against the harm to animals that may be forced to find new habitats , the depletion of resources we may want in the future (such as water or timber), or damage to resources we use today. Development and conservation can coexist in harmony. When we use the environment in ways that ensure we have resources for the future, it is called sustainable development . There are many different resources we need to conserve in order to live sustainably. Forests A forest is a large area covered with trees grouped so their foliage shades the ground. Every continent except Antarctica has forests, from the evergreen -filled boreal forests of the north to mangrove forests in tropical wetlands . Forests are home to more than two-thirds of all known land species . Tropical rainforests are especially rich in biodiversity . Forests provide habitats for animals and plants. They store carbon , helping reduce global warming . They protect soil by reducing runoff . They add nutrients to the soil through leaf litter . They provide people with lumber and firewood. Deforestation is the process of clearing away forests by cutting them down or burning them. People clear forests to use the wood, or to make way for farming or development. Each year, Earth loses about 14.6 million hectares (36 million acres) of forest to deforestation—an area about the size of the U.S. state of New York. Deforestation destroys wildlife habitats and increases soil erosion. It also releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere , contributing to global warming. Deforestation accounts for 15 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation also harms the people who rely on forests for their survival, hunting and gathering, harvesting forest products, or using the timber for firewood. About half of all the forests on Earth are in the tropics —an area that circles the globe near the Equator . Although tropical forests cover fewer than 6 percent of the world’s land area, they are home to about 80 percent of the world’s documented species. For example, more than 500 different species of trees live in the forests on the small U.S. island of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. Tropical forests give us many valuable products, including woods like mahogany and teak , rubber , fruits, nuts, and flowers. Many of the medicines we use today come from plants found only in tropical rainforests. These include quinine , a malaria drug; curare , an anesthetic used in surgery; and rosy periwinkle , which is used to treat certain types of cancer . Sustainable forestry practices are critical for ensuring we have these resources well into the future. One of these practices is leaving some trees to die and decay naturally in the forest. This “ deadwood ” builds up soil. Other sustainable forestry methods include using low-impact logging practices, harvesting with natural regeneration in mind, and avoiding certain logging techniques , such as removing all the high-value trees or all the largest trees from a forest. Trees can also be conserved if consumers recycle . People in China and Mexico, for example, reuse much of their wastepaper, including writing paper, wrapping paper, and cardboard. If half the world’s paper were recycled, much of the worldwide demand for new paper would be fulfilled, saving many of Earth’s trees. We can also replace some wood products with alternatives like bamboo , which is actually a type of grass. Soil Soil is vital to food production. We need high-quality soil to grow the crops that we eat and feed to livestock . Soil is also important to plants that grow in the wild. Many other types of conservation efforts, such as plant conservation and animal conservation, depend on soil conservation. Poor farming methods, such as repeatedly planting the same crop in the same place, called monoculture , deplete nutrients in the soil. Soil erosion by water and wind increases when farmers plow up and down hills. One soil conservation method is called contour strip cropping . Several crops, such as corn, wheat, and clover , are planted in alternating strips across a slope or across the path of the prevailing wind . Different crops, with different root systems and leaves, help slow erosion.

Harvesting all the trees from a large area, a practice called clearcutting , increases the chances of losing productive topsoil to wind and water erosion. Selective harvesting —the practice of removing individual trees or small groups of trees—leaves other trees standing to anchor the soil. Biodiversity Biodiversity is the variety of living things that populate Earth. The products and benefits we get from nature rely on biodiversity. We need a rich mixture of living things to provide foods, building materials, and medicines, as well as to maintain a clean and healthy landscape . When a species becomes extinct , it is lost to the world forever. Scientists estimate that the current rate of extinction is 1,000 times the natural rate. Through hunting, pollution , habitat destruction, and contribution to global warming, people are speeding up the loss of biodiversity at an alarming rate. It’s hard to know how many species are going extinct because the total number of species is unknown. Scientists discover thousands of new species every year. For example, after looking at just 19 trees in Panama, scientists found 1,200 different species of beetles—80 percent of them unknown to science at the time. Based on various estimates of the number of species on Earth, we could be losing anywhere from 200 to 100,000 species each year. We need to protect biodiversity to ensure we have plentiful and varied food sources. This is true even if we don’t eat a species threatened with extinction because something we do eat may depend on that species for survival. Some predators are useful for keeping the populations of other animals at manageable levels. The extinction of a major predator might mean there are more herbivores looking for food in people’s gardens and farms. Biodiversity is important for more than just food. For instance, we use between 50,000 to 70,000 plant species for medicines worldwide. The Great Barrier Reef , a coral reef off the coast of northeastern Australia, contributes about $6 billion to the nation’s economy through commercial fishing , tourism , and other recreational activities. If the coral reef dies, many of the fish, shellfish , marine mammals , and plants will die, too. Some governments have established parks and preserves to protect wildlife and their habitats. They are also working to abolish hunting and fishing practices that may cause the extinction of some species. Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are fuels produced from the remains of ancient plants and animals. They include coal , petroleum (oil), and natural gas . People rely on fossil fuels to power vehicles like cars and airplanes, to produce electricity, and to cook and provide heat. In addition, many of the products we use today are made from petroleum. These include plastics , synthetic rubber, fabrics like nylon , medicines, cosmetics , waxes, cleaning products, medical devices, and even bubblegum.

Fossil fuels formed over millions of years. Once we use them up, we cannot replace them. Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource. We need to conserve fossil fuels so we don’t run out. However, there are other good reasons to limit our fossil fuel use. These fuels pollute the air when they are burned. Burning fossil fuels also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Global warming is changing ecosystems . The oceans are becoming warmer and more acidic , which threatens sea life. Sea levels are rising, posing risks to coastal communities. Many areas are experiencing more droughts , while others suffer from flooding . Scientists are exploring alternatives to fossil fuels. They are trying to produce renewable biofuels to power cars and trucks. They are looking to produce electricity using the sun, wind, water, and geothermal energy — Earth’s natural heat. Everyone can help conserve fossil fuels by using them carefully. Turn off lights and other electronics when you are not using them. Purchase energy-efficient appliances and weatherproof your home. Walk, ride a bike, carpool , and use public transportation whenever possible. Minerals Earth’s supply of raw mineral resources is in danger. Many mineral deposits that have been located and mapped have been depleted. As the ores for minerals like aluminum and iron become harder to find and extract , their prices skyrocket . This makes tools and machinery more expensive to purchase and operate. Many mining methods, such as mountaintop removal mining (MTR) , devastate the environment. They destroy soil, plants, and animal habitats. Many mining methods also pollute water and air, as toxic chemicals leak into the surrounding ecosystem. Conservation efforts in areas like Chile and the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States often promote more sustainable mining methods. Less wasteful mining methods and the recycling of materials will help conserve mineral resources. In Japan, for example, car manufacturers recycle many raw materials used in making automobiles. In the United States, nearly one-third of the iron produced comes from recycled automobiles. Electronic devices present a big problem for conservation because technology changes so quickly. For example, consumers typically replace their cell phones every 18 months. Computers, televisions, and mp3 players are other products contributing to “ e-waste .” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans generated more than three million tons of e-waste in 2007. Electronic products contain minerals as well as petroleum-based plastics. Many of them also contain hazardous materials that can leach out of landfills into the soil and water supply. Many governments are passing laws requiring manufacturers to recycle used electronics. Recycling not only keeps materials out of landfills, but it also reduces the energy used to produce new products. For instance, recycling aluminum saves 90 percent of the energy that would be required to mine new aluminum.

Water Water is a renewable resource. We will not run out of water the way we might run out of fossil fuels. The amount of water on Earth always remains the same. However, most of the planet’s water is unavailable for human use. While more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is freshwater . Out of that freshwater, almost 70 percent is permanently frozen in the ice caps covering Antarctica and Greenland. Only about 1 percent of the freshwater on Earth is available for people to use for drinking, bathing, and irrigating crops. People in many regions of the world suffer water shortages . These are caused by depletion of underground water sources known as aquifers , a lack of rainfall due to drought, or pollution of water supplies. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.6 billion people lack adequate water sanitation . More than five million people die each year from diseases caused by using polluted water for drinking, cooking, or washing. About one-third of Earth’s population lives in areas that are experiencing water stress . Most of these areas are in developing countries. Polluted water hurts the environment as well as people. For instance, agricultural runoff—the water that runs off of farmland—can contain fertilizers and pesticides . When this water gets into streams , rivers , and oceans, it can harm the organisms that live in or drink from those water sources. People can conserve and protect water supplies in many ways. Individuals can limit water use by fixing leaky faucets, taking shorter showers, planting drought-resistant plants, and buying low-water-use appliances. Governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations can help developing countries build sanitation facilities. Farmers can change some of their practices to reduce polluted runoff. This includes limiting overgrazing , avoiding over-irrigation, and using alternatives to chemical pesticides whenever possible. Conservation Groups Businesses, international organizations , and some governments are involved in conservation efforts. The United Nations (UN) encourages the creation of national parks around the world. The UN also established World Water Day, an event to raise awareness and promote water conservation. Governments enact laws defining how land should be used and which areas should be set aside as parks and wildlife preserves. Governments also enforce laws designed to protect the environment from pollution, such as requiring factories to install pollution-control devices. Finally, governments often provide incentives for conserving resources, using clean technologies, and recycling used goods. Many international organizations are dedicated to conservation. Members support causes such as saving rain forests, protecting threatened animals, and cleaning up the air. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an alliance of governments and private groups founded in 1948. The IUCN works to protect wildlife and habitats. In 1980, the group proposed a world conservation strategy . Many governments have used the IUCN model to develop their own conservation plans. In addition, the IUCN monitors the status of endangered wildlife, threatened national parks and preserves, and other environments around the world. Zoos and botanical gardens also work to protect wildlife. Many zoos raise and breed endangered animals to increase their populations. They conduct research and help educate the public about endangered species . For instance, the San Diego Zoo in the U.S. state of California runs a variety of research programs on topics ranging from disease control in amphibians to heart-healthy diets for gorillas. Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, England, work to protect plant life around the world. Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank , for example, works with partners in 54 countries to protect biodiversity through seed collection. Kew researchers are also exploring how DNA technology can help restore damaged habitats. Individuals can do many things to help conserve resources. Turning off lights, repairing leaky faucets, and recycling paper, aluminum cans, glass, and plastic are just a few examples. Riding bikes, walking, carpooling, and using public transportation all help conserve fuel and reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment. Individuals can plant trees to create homes for birds and squirrels. At grocery stores, people can bring their own reusable bags. And people can carry reusable water bottles and coffee mugs rather than using disposable containers. If each of us would conserve in small ways, the result would be a major conservation effort.

Tree Huggers The Chipko Movement, which is dedicated to saving trees, was started by villagers in Uttar Pradesh, India. Chipko means hold fast or embrace. The villagers flung their arms around trees to keep loggers from cutting them down. The villagers won, and Uttar Pradesh banned the felling of trees in the Himalayan foothills. The movement has since expanded to other parts of India.

Thirsty Food People require about 2 to 4 liters of drinking water each day. However, a day's worth of food requires 2,000 to 5,000 liters of water to produce. It takes more water to produce meat than to produce plant-based foods.

Tiger, Tiger Tigers are dangerous animals, but they have more to fear from us than we have to fear from them. Today there are only about 3,200 tigers living in the wild. Three tiger subspecies the Bali, Caspian, and Javan tigers have gone extinct in the past century. Many organizations are working hard to protect the remaining tigers from illegal hunting and habitat loss.

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Audience Relevance: Recycling is something most people choose to ignore. Recycling helps the world by reusing trash to make new products. As a result, this helps reduce the amount of trash that rot in landfills and pollution.

Bisphenol A: The Problems With Plastic Bottles

However, getting tap water from the fridge can be even more helpful! There won’t be any chemicals from the plastic, and if the water doesn’t seem right, filters from the store will be just fine. Purchasing a refillable water bottle will serve the purpose of bottled water, minus the chemicals. And the killing of animals. And the pollution in the ocean. And the litter all over our environment.

The Impact Of A Recycling On The Community

Increased recycling means less trash entering landfills. The greatest environmental benefit of recycling is the use of energy and natural resources when old materials are used to make new products. Many consider recycling an easy task. Products that become garbage have an effect on global warming, which makes recycling as a viable option. The phrase ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ was coined to promote recycling and a clean environment. Recycling is a simple way in which people can contribute to making a better world. It takes time and effort to collect, separate and send trash away. Recycling effects every aspect of our environment—homes, schools and hospitals.

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U.S. Landfills alone are filled with 2 million tons of filthy, old, discarded water bottles (Healthy Human LIfe). Around the world many people have the choice of tap or bottled water but, what is the better choice? Bottled water is supposed to be a cheap, safe, and convenient way to get clean water but, believe it or not they’re not. The decision between tap and bottled water is an important choice because it can affect many factors of everyday life. Tap water is the better choice because it is safer, cost efficient, and Earth friendly.

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The benefit of recycling on the environment is endless even if you are just recycling paper products it can be beneficial. According to a website on recycling paper and other products recycling a single run of the Sunday “New York Times” would save seventy five thousand trees. The amount of wasted land that is left behind by those seventy thousand trees. could have been a strong environment that was destroyed just for a single run of the “New York Times”. According to the same source recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator. This energy used to burn the plastic is payed by the American people’s tax dollar that money could be saved by you just by simpling recycling. In the same source it says that approximately one billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the United States this paper thrown away is sent to these giant landfills and cost millions of dollars to dispose of as where if it was recycled we could save money by not having to pay for the paper sent to landfill and save money by not having to have it burned down or stored. The average American uses eighty five million tons of paper a year; about six hundred and eighty pounds per person according to the source earlier

Recycling Informative Speech

Disadvantages of recycling.

Yes, recycling is often preferable to sending materials straight to the landfill, but recycling has its own demons. A big concern regarding recycling is the possibility of encouraging over consumption. As award winning environmental journalist Amy Westervelt explains in her essay, “Can Recycling Be Bad for the Environment”, people will ease the guilty they feel for massively over-consuming disposable goods by tossing the used items into their recycling bins (213). But not everything that’s recyclable gets recycled—recycling is

Essay on The Importance of Recycling

• 7 Works Cited

These days, our earth has been filled by a lot of waste. There is a lot of garbage, plastic waste, and electronic waste. We always produce it and dump it when we need the new one. Our waste are piling up and continuously accumulating. Plastic waste is one of the biggest problems for us now. And our solution in this problem is recycling. In my opinion, recycling is a way to manage used items into new products. We can reduce, reuse, and recycling (3R) waste management (Peter, 2013). We can reduce our waste clothes with reuse it. There are some reasons why peoples recycle used or unwanted items, which are, prevent wasting unusable materials that still have usage after recycled, reduce the application of raw materials, reduce energy

The Need for Recycling Essay

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People Need to Recycle In the United Sates, where the population is inflated every year. The amount of space for landfills decreases every day. The need for recycling should not be asked, it should just be done out of habit. Everyone in America needs to recycle, to help the lamdfill problem, help the environment, and help produce new products from recycled goods. In America there is about two-hundred and eight tons of residential and commercial trash generated a year, 4.3 pounds per person a day (Prichard 1A). This is an overwhelming amount of trashed produced yearly. When people recycle this number can be drastically cut. But many people do not practice and use

Essay about Make the World a Better Place to Live by Recycling

We don't have to be a genius to be aware of global environmental mess we created over the

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News from the Columbia Climate School

Protecting Our Planet: 5 Strategies for Reducing Plastic Waste

Olga Rukovets

Plastics are ubiquitous in our world, and given that plastic waste can take thousands of years to break down , there’s more of it to be found on Earth every single day. Worse yet is the fact that the stuff doesn’t easily decompose —it mostly just disintegrates into smaller and smaller pieces.

These tiny particles, called microplastics , have found their way to all parts of our globe , no matter how remote. They’re also increasingly detected in our food and drinking water. A recent study by Columbia researchers found that water bottles contain even more—10 to 100 times more—of these minute plastic bits (dubbed “nanoplastics”) than we previously believed. The health effects and downstream repercussions of microplastics are not fully understood, but researchers are concerned about the long-term impacts of ingesting all this plastic.

Meaningful change to clean up this mess will undoubtedly need to happen on a very large scale. Accordingly, Earthday.org , an organization that originates from the first Earth Day back in 1970, has designated this year’s theme as Planet vs. Plastics , with a goal of achieving a 60% reduction in plastics production by 2040. Organizations like Ocean Cleanup have been working on technologies to clean up the plastic floating in our oceans and polluting our waterways. And in 2022, 175 UN member nations signed on to a global agreement that promises to produce a binding treaty to overcome the scourge of plastic by the end of this year (though it has not been without setbacks ).

What are some actions individuals can take on a regular basis to reduce plastics consumption?

1. Embrace the circular economy

Increasingly, advocates are calling for a circular approach to production and consumption as one important way to reduce the burden of plastic waste. Sandra Goldmark , senior assistant dean of interdisciplinary engagement at the Columbia Climate School, reminds us that circularity is very much in use in the modern world—we have public libraries, neighborhood swaps and traditional and regenerative agricultural practices that demonstrate the success of the concept. But it does need to be harnessed on a global scale for the benefits to be palpable. “Currently [our economy] is just 8.6% circular,” Goldmark said. “Over 90% of the resources extracted from the earth are manufactured into goods that are used, usually once, and then sent to landfill or incinerated, often within a year.” By encouraging greater reuse, repurposing and exchange of these goods, we can keep more plastic out of our oceans and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions substantively.

Fast fashion, for example, may be appealing for its convenience and low prices—but what are the true costs? With 100 billion garments being produced every year, 87% end up as waste ( 40 million tons ) in a landfill or incinerator. The average person is now buying 60 percent more clothing than they did 15 years ago, but they’re only keeping them for  half as long as they used to, according to EarthDay.org . 

Instead, the UN Environment Programme recommends re-wearing clothes more frequently and washing them less often. Look for neighborhood swaps and Buy Nothing groups, where you can trade items with your local community. Consider repairing items before trading them in for new ones. See additional tips for healthier consumption of “stuff” here .

2. Reduce your reliance on single-use plastics

Considering the fact that Americans currently purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, switching to a reusable water bottle could save an average of 156 plastic bottles annually. Start bringing reusable shopping bags and containers when you go to the grocery store or coffee shop.

Many cities and states have already implemented plastic bag bans as one step toward decreasing our use of these plastics. Some local businesses even offer discounts for bringing your own coffee cup or bags with you.

3. If all else fails, recycle (responsibly)

When it can’t be avoided, recycle your plastic correctly . If you try to recycle the wrong items—sometimes called “ wishcycling ”—it can slow down an already constrained sorting process. One rule to remember, Keefe Harrison, CEO of the Recycling Partnership , told NPR: “When in doubt, leave it out.”

Recycling programs vary between communities and states, so it’s important to get to know your symbols and research what they mean in your own zip code . For example , plastic bags and plastic wrap or film cannot be placed in your household recycling bin, but some stores have special collections for those items. The symbol on the bottom of a plastic container can tell you what the plastic is made from, which can help guide your decision to recycle it or not, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it can be picked up by your local recycling program. Local websites, like New York City’s 311 , can provide a more detailed breakdown of the types of items that can and cannot be recycled—e.g., rigid plastic packaging including “clamshells”: yes; tubes from cosmetics and toothpaste: no.

Still, reports of how much (or how little) of our plastic waste is actually recycled are alarming—with some estimates ranging from 10% to as low as 5% —so it is still best to opt for other alternatives whenever possible.

4. Get involved with local actions and clean-ups

There are many local movements doing their part to mitigate the environmental contamination caused by plastics pollution. Take a look at what’s happening locally in your neighborhood and globally. Check with your parks department for organized community efforts or consider starting your own . As part of EarthDay.org, you can register your initiative with the Great Global Cleanup , where you can find helpful tips on all stages of this process and connect with a worldwide community.

5. Stay informed about new legislation

As the world grapples with the growing plastics crisis, some states are trying to take matters into their own hands. In California, the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (known as SB 54 ), mandates the switch to compostable packaging for all single-use utensils, containers and other receptacles by 2032, with steep fines for companies that don’t comply. New York is currently moving ahead with a bill called Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act , with the goal of cutting down plastic packaging by 50% in the next 12 years; if it is signed into law, this legislation would also mandate charging fees for noncompliant brands.

Pay attention to what’s happening in your own county, state or country and get involved with efforts to advocate for causes you support. Send messages to your representatives, educate your neighbors and friends, and join a larger contingent of people trying to make the world a better and more sustainable place for current and future generations.

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There’s an Explosion of Plastic Waste. Big Companies Say ‘We’ve Got This.’

Big brands like Procter & Gamble and Nestlé say a new generation of plants will help them meet environmental goals, but the technology is struggling to deliver.

Recycled polypropylene pellets at a PureCycle Technologies plant in Ironton, Ohio. Credit... Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

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By Hiroko Tabuchi

• Published April 5, 2024 Updated April 8, 2024

By 2025, Nestle promises not to use any plastic in its products that isn’t recyclable. By that same year, L’Oreal says all of its packaging will be “refillable, reusable, recyclable or compostable.”

And by 2030, Procter & Gamble pledges that it will halve its use of virgin plastic resin made from petroleum.

To get there, these companies and others are promoting a new generation of recycling plants, called “advanced” or “chemical” recycling, that promise to recycle many more products than can be recycled today.

So far, advanced recycling is struggling to deliver on its promise. Nevertheless, the new technology is being hailed by the plastics industry as a solution to an exploding global waste problem.

The traditional approach to recycling is to simply grind up and melt plastic waste. The new, advanced-recycling operators say they can break down the plastic much further, into more basic molecular building blocks, and transform it into new plastic.

PureCycle Technologies, a company that features prominently in Nestlé, L’Oréal, and Procter & Gamble’s plastics commitments, runs one such facility, a $500 million plant in Ironton, Ohio. The plant was originally to start operating in 2020 , with the capacity to process as much as 182 tons of discarded polypropylene, a hard-to-recycle plastic used widely in single-use cups, yogurt tubs, coffee pods and clothing fibers, every day.

But PureCycle’s recent months have instead been filled with setbacks: technical issues at the plant, shareholder lawsuits, questions over the technology and a startling report from contrarian investors who make money when a stock price falls. They said that they had flown a drone over the facility that showed that the plant was far from being able to make much new plastic.

PureCycle, based in Orlando, Fla., said it remained on track. “We’re ramping up production,” its chief executive, Dustin Olson, said during a recent tour of the plant, a constellation of pipes, storage tanks and cooling towers in Ironton, near the Ohio River. “We believe in this technology. We’ve seen it work,” he said. “We’re making leaps and bounds.”

Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal have also expressed confidence in PureCycle. L’Oréal said PureCycle was one of many partners developing a range of recycling technologies. P.&G. said it hoped to use the recycled plastic for “numerous packaging applications as they scale up production.” Nestlé didn’t respond to requests for comment, but has said it is collaborating with PureCycle on “groundbreaking recycling technologies.”

PureCycle’s woes are emblematic of broad trouble faced by a new generation of recycling plants that have struggled to keep up with the growing tide of global plastic production, which scientists say could almost quadruple by midcentury .

A chemical-recycling facility in Tigard, Ore., a joint venture between Agilyx and Americas Styrenics, is in the process of shutting down after millions of dollars in losses. A plant in Ashley, Ind., that had aimed to recycle 100,000 tons of plastic a year by 2021 had processed only 2,000 tons in total as of late 2023, after fires, oil spills and worker safety complaints.

At the same time, many of the new generation of recycling facilities are turning plastic into fuel, something the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t consider to be recycling, though industry groups say some of that fuel can be turned into new plastic .

Overall, the advanced recycling plants are struggling to make a dent in the roughly 36 million tons of plastic Americans discard each year, which is more than any other country. Even if the 10 remaining chemical-recycling plants in America were to operate at full capacity, they would together process some 456,000 tons of plastic waste, according to a recent tally by Beyond Plastics , a nonprofit group that advocates stricter controls on plastics production. That’s perhaps enough to raise the plastic recycling rate — which has languished below 10 percent for decades — by a single percentage point.

For households, that has meant that much of the plastic they put out for recycling doesn’t get recycled at all, but ends up in landfills. Figuring out which plastics are recyclable and which aren’t has turned into, essentially, a guessing game . That confusion has led to a stream of non-recyclable trash contaminating the recycling process, gumming up the system.

“The industry is trying to say they have a solution,” said Terrence J. Collins, a professor of chemistry and sustainability science at Carnegie Mellon University. “It’s a non-solution.”

‘Molecular washing machine’

It was a long-awaited day last June at PureCycle’s Ironton facility: The company had just produced its first batch of what it describes as “ultra-pure” recycled polypropylene pellets.

That milestone came several years late and with more than $350 million in cost overruns. Still, the company appeared to have finally made it. “Nobody else can do this,” Jeff Kramer, the plant manager, told a local news crew .

PureCycle had done it by licensing a game-changing method — developed by Procter & Gamble researchers in the mid-2010s, but unproven at scale — that uses solvent to dissolve and purify the plastic to make it new again. “It’s like a molecular washing machine,” Mr. Olson said.

There’s a reason Procter & Gamble, Nestlé and L’Oréal, some of the world’s biggest users of plastic, are excited about the technology. Many of their products are made from polypropylene, a plastic that they transform into a plethora of products using dyes and fillers. P.&G. has said it uses more polypropylene than any other plastic, more than a half-million tons a year.

But those additives make recycling polypropylene more difficult.

The E.P.A. estimates that 2.7 percent of polypropylene packaging is reprocessed. But PureCycle was promising to take any polypropylene — disposable beer cups, car bumpers, even campaign signs — and remove the colors, odors, and contaminants to transform it into new plastic.

Soon after the June milestone, trouble hit.

On Sept. 13, PureCycle disclosed that its plant had suffered a power failure the previous month that had halted operations and caused a vital seal to fail. That meant the company would be unable to meet key milestones, it told lenders.

Then in November, Bleecker Street Research — a New York-based short-seller, an investment strategy that involves betting that a company’s stock price will fall — published a report asserting that the white pellets that had rolled off PureCycle’s line in June weren’t recycled from plastic waste. The short-sellers instead claimed that the company had simply run virgin polypropylene through the system as part of a demonstration run.

Mr. Olson said PureCycle hadn’t used consumer waste in the June 2023 run, but it hadn’t used virgin plastic, either. Instead it had used scrap known as “post industrial,” which is what’s left over from the manufacturing process and would otherwise go to a landfill, he said.

Bleecker Street also said it had flown heat-sensing drones over the facility and said it found few signs of commercial-scale activity. The firm also raised questions about the solvent PureCycle was using to break down the plastic, calling it “a nightmare concoction” that was difficult to manage.

PureCycle is now being sued by other investors who accuse the company of making false statements and misleading investors about its setbacks.

Mr. Olson declined to describe the solvent. Regulatory filings reviewed by The New York Times indicate that it is butane, a highly flammable gas, stored under pressure. The company’s filing described the risks of explosion, citing a “worst case scenario” that could cause second-degree burns a half-mile away, and said that to mitigate the risk the plant was equipped with sprinklers, gas detectors and alarms.

Chasing the ‘circular economy’

It isn’t unusual, of course, for any new technology or facility to experience hiccups. The plastics industry says these projects, once they get going, will bring the world closer to a “circular” economy, where things are reused again and again.

Plastics-industry lobbying groups are promoting chemical recycling. At a hearing in New York late last year, industry lobbyists pointed to the promise of advanced recycling in opposing a packaging-reduction bill that would eventually mandate a 50 percent reduction in plastic packaging. And at negotiations for a global plastics treaty , lobby groups are urging nations to consider expanding chemical recycling instead of taking steps like restricting plastic production or banning plastic bags.

A spokeswoman for the American Chemistry Council, which represents plastics makers as well as oil and gas companies that produce the building blocks of plastic, said that chemical recycling potentially “complements mechanical recycling, taking the harder-to-recycle plastics that mechanical often cannot.”

Environmental groups say the companies are using a timeworn strategy of promoting recycling as a way to justify selling more plastic, even though the new recycling technology isn’t ready for prime time. Meanwhile, they say, plastic waste chokes rivers and streams, piles up in landfills or is exported .

“These large consumer brand companies, they’re out over their skis,” said Judith Enck, the president of Beyond Plastics and a former regional E.P.A. administrator. “Look behind the curtain, and these facilities aren’t operating at scale, and they aren’t environmentally sustainable,” she said.

The better solution, she said, would be, “We need to make less plastic.”

Touring the plant

Mr. Olson recently strolled through a cavernous warehouse at PureCycle’s Ironton site, built at a former Dow Chemical plant. Since January, he said, PureCycle has been processing mainly consumer plastic waste and has produced about 1.3 million pounds of recycled polypropylene, or about 1 percent of its annual production target.

“This is a bag that would hold dog food,” he said, pointing to a bale of woven plastic bags. “And these are fruit carts that you’d see in street markets. We can recycle all of that, which is pretty cool.”

The plant was dealing with a faulty valve discovered the day before, so no pellets were rolling off the line. Mr. Olson pulled out a cellphone to show a photo of a valve with a dark line ringing its interior. “It’s not supposed to look like that,” he said.

The company later sent video of Mr. Olson next to white pellets once again streaming out of its production line.

PureCycle says every kilogram of polypropylene it recycles emits about 1.54 kilograms of planet-warming carbon dioxide. That’s on par with a commonly used industry measure of emissions for virgin polypropylene. PureCycle said that it was improving on that measure.

Nestlé, L’Oréal and Procter & Gamble continue to say they’re optimistic about the technology. In November, Nestlé said it had invested in a British company that would more easily separate out polypropylene from other plastic waste.

It was “just one of the many steps we are taking on our journey to ensure our packaging doesn’t end up as waste,” the company said.

Hiroko Tabuchi covers the intersection of business and climate for The Times. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years in Tokyo and New York. More about Hiroko Tabuchi

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Big brands like Procter & Gamble and Nestlé say a new generation of recycling plants will help them meet environmental goals, but the technology is struggling to deliver .

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Did you know the ♻ symbol doesn’t mean something is actually recyclable ? Read on about how we got here, and what can be done.

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Great Lakes cooperation helps solve PFAS in smelt mystery

April 12, 2024

In 2021, Wisconsin fish researchers identified a big mystery in a tiny fish.  Sampling data from rainbow smelt caught in Lake Superior showed unusually high levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a harmful chemical that is part of a group of compounds known as per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS). As a result, both Wisconsin and Michigan notified the public about this discovery and issued a Consumption Advisory which included the risks of eating those fish too often. 

An EGLE staffer processes smelt.

These high levels of PFOS in these little smelt raised questions for state scientists – “Where did this PFOS come from?” and “Why was it so high in smelt?”  There were many possible reasons to be investigated. It was possible that the amount of PFOS in Lake Superior varied around the lake; it was possible that smelt had a feeding behavior that exposed them to greater amount of PFOS than other fish; or it was possible that smelt retained PFOS more than other Lake Superior fish.  It has long been known that PFOS bioaccumulates differently in fish than other persistent chemicals (such as mercury), and that fish lower in the food chain can have some of the highest PFOS concentrations.

These questions led the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, MPART, scientists on a three-year journey that involved collaboration with Tribal governments, Great Lake States, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).   Based on Wisconsin’s initial results, MPART conducted sampling to also evaluate smelt within Lake Superior. The Michigan smelt results mirrored those found in Wisconsin, however, other researchers had results that showed much lower levels of PFOS in Lake Superior smelt.

Scientists shared data and observed that a specific sub-type of PFOS called “branched-PFOS” was high in Michigan data but not in the other researchers’ data sets.

In 2023, scientists from EPA sought to determine why smelt from Lake Superior had drastically lower PFOS concentrations along the northern shorelines compared to those collected from the southern shorelines. 

Reviewing all the Lake Superior smelt data available, they surmised that a naturally occurring bile acid in smelt, known as taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA), could be interfering with the laboratory method. This interference could cause branched-PFOS to be reported in much higher amounts than is actually present in the smelt.

According to EPA, TDCA/bile acids have nearly the same molecular mass as branched-PFOS in addition to containing a sulfonate group, another marker for PFOS. Because of those characteristics, the lab equipment couldn’t previously separate the bile acids from the branched-PFOS.

Michigan has reanalyzed some smelt samples with a new lab method and found low-levels of branched-PFOS and confirmed that bile acids were interfering with the branched-PFOS levels. The reanalyzed smelt samples had PFOS concentrations in line with those being reported by the other researchers.

“Providing answers to these complex PFAS questions can only be solved in cooperation with our many partners” Abby Hendershott, MPART executive director, said. “The collaboration and data sharing between Great Lakes partners have led to this major finding.” 

Michigan will be using the reanalyzed data to update the 2024 Eat Safe Fish Guidelines in accordance with their fish consumption programs.

“For the past 50 years, the Eat Safe Fish Guidelines have been designed to be protective of everyone, including the most sensitive populations,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. “Michigan continues to be a national leader in PFAS research and understanding and will continue directing resources to protect Michiganders from PFAS and other contaminants.”

MPART will continue to collaborate with federal and state agencies, Tribal governments and academia to use the best methods to understand this group of chemicals as the science evolves.

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