Recycle, Reduce and Re-Use Essay Example

inform people about the importance of recycling. The government should also put in place campaigns that focus on greener and better lifestyles. The campaigns should inform the public about how recycling helps to preserve the environment and at the same time provide information on the harmful effects of dumping waste products to both the environment and lives of the people. Monitoring programs should also put in place to assess the level of awareness of recycling and the rate at which people recycle the products.

Through assessment, the government may be in a position to improve on some areas by, for instance improving the level of campaigns to encourage recycling (Lacy, 2015). The government can also offer rewards to both individuals and companies that deal with large amounts of waste rather than imposing fines. Points should be earned depending on the quantity of waste being recycled. This scheme would without doubt encourage individuals and firms to recycle.

Recycling involves three steps which include collecting and processing, manufacturing and using the renewed products from recycled materials. The first step entails identifying and collecting the materials to be recycled either at home, in the office, industrial or any other place (MacBride, 2012). The recyclable materials are put in one place to be transported to the place where recycling takes place. The recyclable materials are then processed, and the duration of processing varies depending on the type of material. After processing, the processed materials are manufactured into finished products which are then used for both domestic and industrial purposes.

After bottles, cans and newspapers get to the recycle bin, they are turned into new products at the end of the recycling process.

Plastic cans and bottles may cause serious harm to the environment due to the complex and long molecular chains, as they are non-biodegradable. When plastics are recycled, they are produced in new forms (MacBride, 2012). They are sorted according to different types, contaminants removed and finally melted into pellets. The new form of materials is then used in various ways, including construction and insulation. Once cans are recycled, they save approximately ninety-five percent of the energy that is consumed to produce new cans. The cans are chopped up, after which the paint coating is removed. The pieces are melted, filtered, treated and then rolled into sheets to manufacture new cans (Richardson, 2013). Other materials such as newspapers undergo the same process which helps to save both energy and natural resources that are scarce.

Recycling helps to save money since there is no need to pay for additional resources to create a similar item and this increases the level of savings which later boosts the economy (Lacy, 2015). It also reduces the cost of maintaining a system of waste disposal and the money saved is used to meet other needs. Recycling also offers some cash benefits even to the individuals. The products made from recycling are sold, thereby generating additional income. Another most important impact of creating products through recycling is that it helps to preserve the environment which makes it habitable. Disposal of such waste may cause environmental pollution which may be detrimental to animals and plants through increasing levels of landfills (Richardson, 2013). Lastly, creating renewed resources from the recycled items helps to save energy. Less energy is required to recycle resources as compared to

producing new products. Saving energy also enables one to save money which contributes to a positive impact on the lives of individuals.

References

1. Lacy, P. (2015). Waste to Wealth: The Circular Economy Advantage. Basingstoke, ZULU: Palgrave Macmillan.
2. MacBride, S. (2012). Recycling reconsidered: the present failure and future promise of environmental action in the United States. Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press.
3. Richardson, A. (2013). Reuse of materials and byproducts in construction: Waste minimization and recycling. London: Springer