Is recycling really worth the effort?

Question

I ask this because I have heard mixed things about recycling. I have heard how it is worse to recycle because some of the recycled products take so much longer to biodegrade than the original product did in the first place. I know some of the reasons to recycle and some not to. I guess I have been not recycling out of ignorance really and I want to be convinced that the good really does out weigh the bad. Thanks!

Answer 1

The myth of the recycled product taking longer to breakdown is untrue. It takes longer for two items to break down than for one item that has been used twice to break down. Recycling helps cut back on the virgin materials we are using, which means less cutting of the rainforest and less mining for metals/etc. It also means less wasting of oil since plastics are made from petroleum (oil) and the recycling reclaims and reuses that oil. It is cheaper for a city to sell it's recyclables to companies willing to reclaim the materials than it is for the city to burn it or landfill it.

Answer 2

Yes, recycling is worth the effort. Rest assured that "the good really does outweigh the bad." Recycling is one of the best things you can do to reduce your impact on the environment.

Firstly, garbage doesn't take longer to biodegrade when you recycle it than just throw it away. Most garbage ends up in landfills, where it takes a LONG time to biodegrade. It can take up to 100 years for an aluminum can to decompose.

Also, it takes much less energy to recycle something than to produce it in the first place. For an aluminum can, you can recycle 20 aluminum cans for the same amount of energy it takes to produce 1 from scratch.

I can give you facts like this all day long, but the point is: it's easy to recycle. Educate yourself on what can and cannot be recycled, and do it. Simple.

Answer 3

Well think about it, something gets melted and used over and over. Popcans for instance can be recycled just about indefinitely.

Ever get beer from a beer store and take the empties back? Those get reused something like up to 18 times, then get recycled.

There's no reason not to. Even if it did take longer to biodegrade than the original, if you put 100 times more of the original in the garbage instead of recycling, it's still 100 times worse than if you stick it in the recycling and it gets recycled 100 times.

Besides recycling is simple. You can use one or 2 bins, I prefer 2. Put paper in one, plastics and metallics in the other. Couldn't be simpler.

Answer 4

Yes it is worth the effort, but you don't have to go hippie over night when you recycle. Taking old newspapers to be recycled is one of the best things your can do for the environment and it doesn't mess up landfills like you are worried about. Glass and most plastics are the same way but take a little more effort on your part because you should rinse them out first.

Recycling doesn't mean taking everything to a recycling center either. Some times it just a simple thing of using something more than once. You know those plastic grocery bags make great lunch bags and garbage bags.

Good luck

Answer 5

I just read an old article in National Geographic on Recycling.
In 1970 Julie Lewis had a dream about recycling and today her dream is living. She founded a company called DejaShoe. Her shoes are selling from her Portland, Oregon firm for $40-$70 a pair and she ships 100,000 pairs annually. These shoes are made of cotton-canvas fabric rewoven from texitile scraps. The foam padding was designed to cushion chairs, Factory-reject coffee filters and file folders go into the insoles and recycled grocery bags, tire rubber, and plastic trimmings left over from the manufacture of disposable diapers is what goes into her shoes. When the shoes wear out send them back to Deja to be recycled again. This is one of the examples in this article that shows it pays to recycle. More companies are buying recycled materials for their products. The article was dated July 1994 Vol 186, No.1. If you want more info on this article maybe the library still can acess the National Geographic magazine for you. All things do not have to go into the ground after being recycled only once. They can be recycled many times over. This was the best article on Recycling I ever read and it gave the pros and cons, facts and figures. It does pay to recycle.

Answer 6

I personally don't think that recycling is bad for you. To me, I know that I am doing something good for this planet. You have to make up your own mind about what is good about recycling and what is not. For me, I know that the majority of the products that I buy are made from recycled plastic and cans and paper. I know that at the hospital that I work at, some of the plastic instruments are made out of recycled plastic. I mean, you have to make up your mind yourself. Is it worth recycling? Yes, to me it is. If it means that you are able to be a part of saving this planet and the lives that are on it, then yes, it is worth it.

Answer 7

In urban areas, the more you recycle the less garbate you have to transport for miles and miles to the landfills. Plus, if you recycle metals or glass that means you are using less of the materials that have to be mined and you save energy there too as well as recycling the materials.

This is poorly worded, but the savings from recycling go beyond just the recycling itself.

Answer 8

I have been recycling since I was ten years old. Aside from the ecological benefits to the planet, I used the money I received for my recyclables to buy my first 2 bicycles, 2 motorcycles, 2 snowmobiles, and 2 cars. Now that I am in a better financial position, I give (not sell) my scrap metals to a junk man who is struggling to make a living. I benefit from this because it makes me feel good to help someone else. So yes, for me the good definitely outweighs the bad.

Answer 9

This is the first time I read anything negative about recycling (other than some people being too busy to wash out the bottles, etc.). It never occurred to me that they would make something out of recycled products that would be less biodegradable than the originals.

I, personally, buy recycled notebooks, paper products, and anything else that isn't too expensive because of the labor it took to recycle it. I give things I don't need to people who could use them or thrift stores. I buy at yard sales and thrift stores when possible. My computer was made for me by my son, out of pieces he found out with the trash (and some from friends who were getting rid of old computers). I always passed down my children's clothing to other children--and accepted others passed-down clothing.

As for the bottles, cans, newspapers, etc. if we don't recycle we will run out of space in the dumpsites. It is bad to use styrofoam products and disposable diapers--as they are not biodegradable. We are polluting the earth with all of our trash--that's reason enough for me.

Answer 10

you bet its worth it. I feel great knowing that i am helping by getting my children involved and teaching them how to recycle and what products are biodegradable so they have the knowledge for there generation. We recycle are pop cans and take that directly to the scrap yard. the money we earn is used for a special treat. i have 5 recycling cans and they are full every week. I cut my trash to 1 can for a family of 8. If everyone did their part it really would make a difference