The three words commonly associated with recycling are “Reduce,” “Reuse,” and “Recycle.” We will look at what recycling really is, how you can benefit from it, and also the environmental benefits. You will be able to make some money and also help reduce the negative impacts on the environment through recycling, even if you have no prior knowledge.

What is recycling?

The word recycling means to process materials that we would normally be thrown away into trash, and make new products out of them. We often throw away valuable metals, glass, paper, etc. without realizing that all those materials could be reused instead of filling-up landfills. Some of the valuable metals such as copper, aluminum, iron, steel, etc, can be very easily recycled and turned into profit. If you know which household products can be reused and recycled, you could easily sort them and make money while contributing to the improvement of our environment.

You could even recycle waste from your kitchen, old furniture, old clothes, broken glass, computer and electronic parts, electrical appliances and components, roofing and siding materials, aluminum cans, empty metal cans and containers, metal wire and cables, and more.

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Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

When we create waste and throw it away into landfills, we not only fill up the land, but also pollute the air and soil. Harmful gases and toxic chemicals are produced which are released into the atmosphere as well as seeped into the soil. By reducing the volume of waste we produce, we can also reduce the amount of pollution released. We can reduce waste by bringing reusable shopping bags to the store, selecting products with the least amount of packaging, repairing items instead of replacing them and minimizing the disposable products we use.

The second “R” is Reuse. Reusing is to utilize and make use of most of our household items with minimum waste. If you cannot reuse some of the items you have at home, you could donate them to recycling groups or recycle them yourself. We must adapt to recycled materials and purchase more items made from recycled materials.

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Benefits of recycling

According to a recent study by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we recycle about 32.5% of our solid waste across various different types of goods. What do we do with the rest? The EPA explains that we burn and destroy 12.5% solid waste at incineration facilities, emitting harmful gases in the atmosphere. The rest of the waste, about 250 million tons of it, ends up in landfills annually throughout the country. If we could separate and recycle this waste, we could easily benefit from it. Below we will discuss five benefits of recycling and using recycled materials.

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1. Make money

One of the major benefits of recycling is financial income. We could all find several items lying around our homes that could be recycled and make money from them. Some such items are old furniture, old phones, cables, metal furniture, aluminum cans, metal containers, old clothes, electrical appliances, and more.

2. Conserve resources

Throwing away objects in the dumpster could increase the pressure on mining for new raw materials. It also wastes the energy such as fuel and other costs associated with mining. Recycling aluminum cans, steel, copper, and other expensive metals can save costly gas money and mining expenses, as well as conserve valuable resources.

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3. The environmental benefits

Recycling can significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. It can save on non-reusable resources as well as water and landfill space, and most of all it can save energy. So, recycling reduces emissions, conserves energy, and reduces pollution.

4. Create more jobs and a stronger economy

The idea of recycling is gaining popularity among individuals and companies more than ever for both economic and environmental reasons, and jobs in recycling industries are booming.

5. Recycling builds a stronger economy

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Done on a large scale, recycling can have a significant impact on the economy when you consider creating jobs, conserving raw materials, reusing waste materials, and reduced energy cost along with environmental benefits.

Recycling is a choice and way of life. It’s one of those habits that help you make money while helping the environment. Once you make that choice, you could start taking steps towards recycling, reusing and reducing waste in your daily life quite naturally. Every bit of energy and every resource that you save adds up, and you could make a difference.

Please share and let your friends know about the benefits of recycling.

Source: Environmental Professionals Network.

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