How does recycling help the environment?

Answer 1

It doesn't.

Recycling is a 'feel-good' thing to ensure that consumers continue consuming at ever-increasing levels.

Only reducing consumption helps the environment.

For example, if you consume a soft drink or water from a bottle or can and then recycle the bottle or can, you also consume packaging, transportation, and processing TWO times--once when you buy the drink and then again, when you recycle the empty container.

If you drink water from the tap in your own glass, there is a lot less waste, which DOES help the environment. But then, soft drink companies don't make any money off you.

Answer 2

Though, the first answerer claims:
"For example, if you consume a soft drink or water from a bottle or can and then recycle the bottle or can, you also consume packaging, transportation, and processing TWO times--once when you buy the drink and then again, when you recycle the empty container."

The fact is that transportation and processing costs are going to happen with a New container, as well. However, the initial action of extracting the material, such as wood for paper does not take place, again. Use recycled paper... save a tree.

Answer 3

If you toss everything in the trash, your garbageman picks it up and delivers it to a landfill, where all that trash is buried. Much of our trash today is not biodegradable - or could take hundreds of years to break down.
Meanwhile, all that trash lies dormant in the landfill, leaching God-knows-what into the soil that eventually ends up in our water supplies.
That means your grandchildren or great-grandchildren might not be able to find clean drinking water, and might have to wear gas masks in order to breathe fresh air. Meanwhile, all the trash that we tossed into landfills just lies there and slowly decomposes. Ironically, when more landfills become necessary, no one wants one in their "backyard" even though they create the trash that creates the demand for more landfills.
On the other hand, if we all would REuse such things as Styrofoam cups (for more than one soft drink), REduce the amount of trash we dispose of (by taking cloth bags when we shop instead of using 'paper or plastic'), and REcycle virtually everything we can - this Earth would be a much cleaner, safer place to live, especially for our descendants.
So, why not recycle all that stuff you normally throw into your garbage can? Cardboard, newsprint, plastic, metals, aluminum, glass, paper, telephone books, magazines, tin cans, steel, used cooking oils, plastic milk jugs, plastic soft drink bottles, computers, cell phones, ink cartridges, and plastic bags are ALL recyclable. Why not make the effort? It's really not that much trouble. Just find a nearby recycling center and make a trip once a week. It's easy and it's good for the Earth! -RKO- 05/10/07

Answer 4

Recycling is beneficial in two ways: it reduces the inputs (energy and raw materials) to a production system and reduces the amount of waste produced for disposal.

Some materials like aluminum can be recycled indefinitely as there is no change to the materials. Other recycled materials like paper require a percentage of raw materials (wood fibers) to be added to compensate for the degradation of existing fibers.

The resources being processed are purer, less energy is needed to process them and less energy is needed to transport from the place of extraction (e.g. bauxite/aluminium ore mines in Brazil or coniferous forests in Scandinavia).

This reduces the environmental, social, and usually the economic costs of manufacturing.

For example, bauxite mines in Brazil displace indigenous people, create noise pollution from blasting, machinery and transport, and create air pollution in the form of particulates (dust). The habitat loss and visual destruction is also negative both to the aesthetic qualities of the areas and the local environment. However, the mines do provide employment and revenue to the local population and economy, promoting development of the country as a whole.

Recycling aluminium saves 95% of the energy cost of processing new aluminium because the melting temperature is reduced from 900 °C to 600 °C. It is by far the most efficient material to recycle.

The most commonly used methods for waste disposal (landfill, pyrolysis, incineration) may be environmentally damaging and unsustainable. Therefore any way to reduce the volume of waste being disposed in this fashion may be beneficial. The maximum environmental benefit is gained by waste minimization (reducing the amount of waste produced), and reusing items in their current form such as refilling bottles.

All recycling techniques consume energy, for transportation and processing, and some also use considerable amounts of water.

Answer 5

Potentially two ways. It reduces the amount of raw materials required, and reduces what goes into landfills. But, as first responder has correctly noted, recycling is not without its costs. It is particularly useful to recycle aluminum and copper; aluminum requires lots of energy to refine, and copper is expensive.

Answer 6

It does help. You are saving trees from destruction and saving the carbon emissions from the machine used to cut it down. You're also saving energy from the truck that will transit the paper. Also, with plastic..it may not be biodegradable and plastic foam isn't biodegradable. It's better to recycle than add to the growing land fills.

Answer 7

Beats me.

We separate things into different bins and the Waste Management truck dumps them all in the same place.

We'd change to another trash pickup, but they're owned by the mafia and you can't cancel your service with them.

Answer 8

by using old things again ,new natural resources are not needed

example
if we recycle paper and cardboard ,less trees get cut down

Answer 9

it cuts energy costs and reduces waste.