Cycling towards waste reduction
We all must have noticed the three arrows arranged in the form of a triangle, the sign of recycling on every other product packaging, yet so many of us are still not sure or fully informed about the whole process of recycling and why it is needed while dealing with the tons of waste generated through human activities. It is one of those things which we hear about a lot but it’s implemented very less when it comes to our actions.
Recycling in simple terms is a journey of an old product going through precisely three major steps to a new product. According to the EPA, the three steps are the following:
Collection- In our day-to-day lives, we all can agree that there is a lot of waste collected, but to recycle it, it needs to be picked by the particular entity responsible for it.
Processing- After collecting, the products need to be sorted and processed for the final stage.
Remanufacturing- The materials of the old product are used to manufacture a new one.
It might look cumbersome but isn’t that difficult and complex, rather it’s more cost-effective than buying or manufacturing a new product altogether from the scratch.
People tend to confuse recycling and upcycling a lot but they clearly are distinct. In recycling, the materials of the older version of the product are only used to create a new one with inferior quality, but on the other hand, upcycling includes the addition of new materials to the older product materials to create a higher quality product. Kevin de Leon once rightly said “Recycling more plastics can help local businesses and expand jobs while supporting the goals of sustainability.” Many of the local small businesses globally have been flourishing by selling recycled and/or upcycled products like clothing for example.
Ways you can accommodate recycling in your daily life:
- Recyclable or not
While you shop, do not forget to check if the product you’re buying is even recyclable in nature and then make the right call.
- Sort! Sort! Sort!
Whenever you go for dumping your waste, before doing that, sort your waste. For example, don’t assume that all plastics can be recycled, so sort accordingly.
- Recycle your old belongings
Your things like electronics can be recycled, but you have to take an initiative to reach out to the particular brand and inform them about it, you might even get incentives for it.
- Replace the temporary stuff
Things which can be used only once should be replaced with the ones that can be reused for better utility of the materials used like menstrual cups should be used instead of sanitary pads which are made up of plastic that might take thousands of years to decompose.
Recycling has positive impacts on the environment as well as the economy. It promotes sustainability which is a topic of discussion in every environment-related conversation. Unemployment in countries is one of the most crucial problems that the common people are facing so employment in this particular arena can pop up as an opportunity for people who are willing to work for themselves and the environment simultaneously.
According to the 2020 REI report, recycling helps to show a way to people who are searching for employment by giving job openings in this arena of business, therefore adding a very strong point to the section about economical advantages along with the obvious aid it provides to the environment.
We humans sometimes show a little resistance towards changing our routine and all the activities that we have been conducting throughout all these years. But, it is time that we acknowledge that our ways have ended up making us all regret the environmental consequences of the endless amount of waste in the form of material or energy generated every second we breathe. “Listen up, you couch potatoes: each recycled beer can save enough electricity to run a television for three hours.”, these are the words by Denis Hayes that we all need to hear to get ourselves started on our journey to a sustainable future or the next generation’s present that they don’t regret living in. Let’s be a little mindful of what we do with our actions and the rest is good to go. Let’s make an effort and just simply recycle.