Is recycling worthwhile?
Recycling is one of the best environmental success stories of the late 20th century. Recycling, which includes composting, diverts millions of tons of material away from landfills and incinerators. Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources. As a matter of fact, collecting recyclable materials is just the first step in a series of actions that generate a host of financial, environmental, and societal returns. Key benefits to recycling are as follows: • Protects and expands U.S. manufacturing jobs and increases U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace. • Reduces the need for landfilling and incineration. • Saves energy and prevents pollution caused by the extraction and processing of virgin materials and the manufacture of products using virgin materials. • Decreases emissions of greenhouses gases that contribute to global climate change. • Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals. • Helps sustain the environment for
Recycling is one of the best environmental success stories of the late 20th century. In 2003, the United States recycling and composting efforts diverted more than 72 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators and instead turned those materials into valuable resources.Collecting recyclable materials is just the first step in a series of actions that generate a host of financial, environmental, and societal returns. There are several key benefits to recycling. Recycling: • Protects and expands U.S. manufacturing jobs and increases U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace, creating 1.1 million jobs. • Saves energy and prevents pollution caused by the extraction and processing of virgin materials and the manufacture of products using virgin materials. • Decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change. • Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals. • Helps sustain the environment for future generations. Recycling
