Posts Tagged ‘recycling’


The Many Benefits Of Recycling Paper

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Not enough people recycle the paper that they use, which is a real shame because there are many benefits to be had from doing so. What are those benefits? Well, these are some of the main ones…

- As paper is made from trees, the less paper we use the less trees have to be cut down. The effect of cutting down trees is devastating on the environment. Whole ecosystems can come to an end as a result of just part of a forest being cut down. Therefore, recycling paper saves many animals and a lot of plant-life. There is also the visual impact that deforestation to consider. Google the term ‘deforestation’ and see for yourself what a stain excessively cutting down trees leaves on our planet.

- A lot of everyday items (newspapers, Cardboard Boxes, envelopes, egg cartons, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.) can be made from recycled paper. These items do the same job whether they are made from ‘new’ paper or recycled paper, so it makes so no sense to not make them from recycled paper. The problem is we are not recycling enough paper to be able to make these items from only recycled paper.

- Recycled paper has cost benefits as it is made from materials that would otherwise constitute the solid waste that is polluting our environment. By infusing this material into the paper manufacturing process, and getting rid of the costs associated with ‘virgin’ pulp and whitening agents, companies can achieve cost savings by both producing and consuming recycled materials

- Recycled paper products conserve resources and generate less pollution during manufacturing. This is because the fibers have already been processed once. It also reduces solid waste because it takes usable paper out of the waste stream. That means less total energy, water, and chemical use, and lower releases of air and water pollutants.

- Producing recycled paper uses much less total energy than producing virgin paper. Depending on the grade of paper, producing recycled paper may use less purchased energy in the form of fossil fuels and electricity. Pretty much all of the energy that we use damages the environment in one way or another, and so we should save what we can where we can.

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Information On Recycling Batteries

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

There are various types of consumer batteries on the market today, from the lead-acid batteries we all use in our cars to the small button batteries we use in our watches. There are household batteries like AA, AAA, C, D and also the 9-volt type. Some of them are rechargeable, some are not, but, whatever the type of battery, they all have chemicals inside them – the three worst ones being lead, cadmium, and mercury.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you recycled any batteries? It is quite possible that you never have, which is disappointing, but not surprising, as less than 5% of batteries get recycled. It is a strange anomaly as recycling batteries is no more difficult than recycling paper, plastic, glass, etc. which most of us at least try to recycle these days.

Many supermarkets and shops that sell batteries now have collection boxes for used batteries. Also, some town halls, libraries or schools have also set up collection points for recycling batteries. So, it is no excuse to say that recycling batteries is too inconvenient. If you spend five minutes looking online for places to recycle batteries in your local area then you will certainly find a few.

So, which types of batteries can be recycled?

Button batteries : These batteries, which are used in watches and hearing aids amongst other things, can have the mercury-oxide and silver-oxide reclaimed from them. This means that not only are there environmental benefits but there are economic ones too. For this reason, jewelers and pharmacies are happy to take these expired batteries from you because they can actually make some money from them.

Car batteries : These are probably the worst types of batteries for the environment, but they are also very recyclable. The plastic components can be melted down and used to make new plastic products and the lead can be used to make new batteries. You can take your used car batteries to most car battery sellers, who are obliged by law in most countries to recycle them.

Household batteries : It is a shame that these batteries, which are the most common type (used in children’s toys, clocks, torches, etc.), cannot really be used for anything else once they have run out, however, that does not mean that you should not take them to a battery recycling point. They need to be properly disposed of to avoid causing damage to the environment, and the only way that can happen is if the chemicals are drained from them before they are disposed of.

So, you now know about the importance of recycling batteries and also how to go about doing your bit to help the environment. Your contribution may seem like a small, insignificant one, but it is because too many people are of that mindset that we have the environmental problems that we face now.

Find Out More – Battery Recycling

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What World War Two Taught Us About Recycling

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Most people think of recycling as a recent phenomenon of the green revolution, however, there is evidence of recycling from as long ago as 300BC. It was around the mid 1900s though that recycling was first done a mass scale.

During the World War II, resources were hard to come by and Governments ran massive recycling campaigns to make sure that nothing was wasted. Waste was segregated for the following uses:

- Metal and tine were collected for use weapons, tanks and aircraft.

- Kitchen waste provided feed for pigs, chickens and goats.

- Rubber was recycled to make new tires.

- Boiled bones were recycled to make glue for aircraft or turned into glycerin for explosives.

People were also encouraged to repair belongings, such as clothes, rather than buy new. Campaigns like ‘Make Do & Mend’ advised people on how to recycle textiles and patch up their worn out clothes. As a result, knitting soared in popularity around this time.

Families had to plan meals carefully so as to minimize wastage. With no fridges or freezers, perishable food had to be bought in small quantities and meals were made with some interesting substitutes. Meat fat was commonly saved to make pastry, and even the cream from milk was collected in a jar and shaken to make butter.

It is a shame that it took people such a long time to acknowledge the importance of recycling, and also that it took such unfortunate circumstances to draw it to our attention. Nowadays, we realize the importance of recycling to preserve the Earth’s resources, save money, reduce pollution and help combat climate change.

Even so, we are still failing to recycle a lot of items that are recyclable. Though we are aware of what we should be doing, and though it is not difficult for us to do it, there is still a very much laid back attitude to recycling. Too many people simply cannot be bothered to recycle, and that is undoing the good work being done by those who do take the little time and effort required to recycle.

The uses of recyclable materials may be different now from what they were 60 years ago, but we can still take inspiration from our grandparents. If they could recycle, then why can’t we recycle too? We should all be taking action now, and not be waiting around for a major crisis to kick-start us into action again.
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Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective recycling bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years.

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Recycling – Why You Should Recycle Paper

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

The environment benefits greatly from paper being recycled and, fortunately, it is not at all difficult to do. Once paper is collected by your local authority or recycling management company, it is then taken to a paper mill, a factory devoted to creating sheets of paper from ingredients such as old magazines, newspapers, used envelopes etc.

The first thing that happens at the paper mill is the turning of the scrap paper into pulp. The recycled paper is then screened, cleaned and de-inked through a number of processes until it is found suitable for papermaking. It is then ready to be made into new products such as newspapers, toilet rolls and other paper based items commonly found in the home and office.

So, now that you know how simple the recycling process for paper is, lets look at benefits that it brings…

Saves Trees – The less brand new (referred to as ‘virgin’˜) paper that is needed, the less trees have to be cut down. Vast areas have already been ruined as a direct of deforesting for paper, and this needs to stop as by doing so we are unbalancing eco-systems and the atmosphere.

Wildlife Preservation – More often than not, the wildlife that lives in the trees that are cut down to make ‘new’ paper, die quickly because they cannot adapt to living anywhere else. Recycling paper means that they can die natural deaths instead of forced ones.

Less Water Consumption – 1 ton of recycled paper can save over 6500 gallons of water.

Saves Electricity – Producing electricity seriously damages the environment, but more than 400 kilowatt hours are saved by recycling 1 ton of paper.

Reduces Oil Dependence – Recycling paper reduces our dependence on oil. For every ton of paper that is recycled, approximately 2 barrels of oil are saved.

Saves Space – Recycling paper reduces space in landfills. 1 ton of recycled paper made from scraps can save 3 cubic yards.

Less Pollution – Burning paper in waste incinerators pumps masses of pollution into the air. That means that we are unnecessarily causing the air that we all breathe to be of a lower quality.

Creates Jobs – Think about all the people who work within the paper recycling industry. Collectors, sorters and machine operators being just a few of them. The more that we recycle, the more of these jobs there will be created.

Paper Logs – Many people are now turning to paper logs as a supplementary fuel source. Consisting of tightly compressed briquettes of paper, these logs can be thrown on a fire or used in a wood burner to provide heat for free.

Cheaper Paper – Recycled paper is often cheap to purchase. Buying cheaper, recycled goods encourages more recycled goods to be manufactured, sustaining the recycling industry.
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http://www.paperlogmaker.org.uk is a website dedicated to the recycling of paper. At their site you can find out what a paper log maker is and how it can help you recycle paper.

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Save Resources And Energy By Recycling Aluminum And Steel Cans

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Each and every year thousands upon thousands of tons of trash is thrown into landfills. While we are in no immediate danger of running short on landfill space, this is expensive in terms of space, time, and energy invested, as well as the sheer waste of materials that will not ever be used again. So, consider the reasons below for keeping your steel and aluminum cans out of landfill sites by recycling them instead.

- Aluminum that has been recycled is back in use again within 2 months. On the other hand, it would take over 200 years for that metal to break down naturally in a landfill.

- Recycling is not just about material savings, but also about energy consciousness. Each aluminum can recycled saves enough energy to run a television for 3 hours; one pound of cans recycled will save enough energy to run it for four days!

- Metal cans can be exchanged for cash at many places. Several states offer five cents for each can given to them, and some recycling centers offer between fifty cents and two dollars for every pound of cans recycled.

- Recycled aluminum and steel are have exactly the same composition as ‘new’ aluminum and steel. Recycled metals are simply melted down and then forged into new products.

- Every day, Americans recycle around 100,000 aluminum cans per minute. The majority of that number is a result of certain communities working hard on special projects that they set-up, and that is something that you should encourage those in your neighborhood to take up, as recycling can bring communities together.

- The 100,000,000 ‘new’ steel cans produced every day contain 25% recycled materials. That is the equivalent of 25 million reclaimed cans vs. 75 million completely new cans. If more people recycled, that number would soon become 50-50 and a huge amount of energy and resources would be saved.

- The United States currently uses steel which is more than 65% recycled. That is not too bad, but there is definitely room for improvement. This proportion would go up significantly if more people knew that they can recycle their steel cans.

- There are can crushing machines available that can be used to make the job easier, including some that can be made at home for almost no cost. Therefore, it is no excuse to say that recycling cans takes up too much space within your home.
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http://www.cancrusher.org.uk is a site offering information about recycling aluminum and steel cans.

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