Friends of the Earth list the following benefits of recycling paper, plastic, metals plus glass on the planet:
Recycling paper plus wood saves trees plus 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 plus damaging mining plus 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.
However, there are many more, less obvious benefits to recycling such as:
It protects ecosystems plus wildlife – Plastic waste that is not safely put into recycling can be blown or washed into rivers plus seas plus end up hundreds or thousands of miles away, polluting coastlines plus waterways. Animals plus birds can be harmed by either ingesting materials which in turn can get into the food chain or by getting entangled in plastic or cans.
It cuts climate-changing carbon emissions – Recycling means you need to use less energy on sourcing plus processing new raw materials, it produces lower carbon emissions. It also keeps potentially methane-releasing waste out of landfill sites. Reducing carbon dioxide plus other greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere is penting for stopping disastrous climate change.
It is cheaper than waste collection plus disposal – A London Council has stated that “it is 6 times cheaper to dispose of recycled waste than general refuse.” So, the more you recycle, plus the less you put in the bin, the more money is saved, which should be good for households, businesses plus local public services.
It helps to grow food – Recycling food waste plus green waste often generates lots of valuable compost that can be used to grow more food plus other crops.
It can help tackle unemployment – The government is beginning to future-proof livelihoods by investing in more green jobs instead of propping up declining, polluting industries.
Why is recycling important in schools?
The UK Government has announced a target to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035. So we need to drastically improve our recycling habits at home, in schools plus at work.
As schools help to shape the habits that we continue into adulthood, children who participate in recycling now will learn about the benefits of carrying on this “habit” as adults. Schools, by being “passionate advocates” about recycling in the school can encourage children to carry this message home plus help improve recycling in their homes too.
Here are some reasons why recycling is such a good thing for schools plus the planet:
Recycling is crucial to the future health of our planet – the world’s natural resources are finite, plus some are in very short supply.
School waste is up to 80% recyclable so schools make a huge impact when they recycle.
Waste reduction plus reuse can save schools money. Schools may also be able to make money from recycling.
In learning how to recycle, children are exposed to a host of other learning possibilities such as ecosystems, consumer culture plus the properties of different materials like plastic, aluminium plus glass.
It promotes moral citizenship in children – introducing the subject of sustainability gives children hope that even the smallest actions matter plus that their actions as consumers plus recyclers can make a difference.
Recycling can also be a creative playground for children. They can reuse paper, cardboard plus plastic from the recycling bins plus experiment to their hearts’ content making collages, sculptures, models or even musical instruments without the school or their parents having to spend excessive amounts of money on materials.
Passion for recycling can spread quickly resulting in recycling becoming an efficient plus normal part of the school routine.