Recycling is important when it comes to our health because it directly affects our environment and therefore affects our quality of life. We all know about the 3 R’s of waste management; Reduce, reuse, recycle. These concepts play a bigger role in our everyday life and environment more than we know. Through many studies we know that our environment shapes the way both we and our children develop and grow in society. With that being said there are so many health benefits that can be gained from recycling, keep reading to learn more:
First off, Reduce: The first step in reducing waste is by using less plastic bags or any other type of plastic containers which are used for storage or transportation purposes. If you are buying groceries then look at the store’s packaging before buying anything that has excessive amounts of plastic wrapped around it (this could be anything from your favorite soda bottle or even your favorite cereal box). By doing this you will reduce the amount of trash that goes into landfills which helps reduce greenhouse gases as well (which leads us into the next section).
Reuse and recycle.
Or, as we like to call it, “waste not.”
Because the world is so full of stuff, it’s easy to forget that much of what we use is only useful for a short while. Everything has a lifespan—from milk jugs and coffee cups to plastic bags and even paper towels. When those things are no longer useful, they become garbage that we throw away. But there are better ways!
Reuse means finding new ways to use things that otherwise would have been thrown out. Recycling means turning something old and useless (like plastic milk jugs) into something new and useful (like picnic benches, playground equipment, and recycling bins).
It’s time for us all to start thinking about how we can make our lives greener by reducing our waste—and there are so many health benefits that can be gained from recycling, keep reading to learn more:
Helps reduce the need for raw resources: We’re all taught to practice recycling in school, but it’s easy to forget what it’s actually doing for the environment. Recycling is a key part of the process of conservation, which reduces the need for raw materials that are taken from the environment and reduces pollution.
In very basic terms, conservation is when we use less of something while still getting the same result.
Recycling is key to the future of our planet. When we recycle, the amount of raw materials needed to be taken from the environment is greatly reduced. This helps preserve our environment and allows all the life in it to thrive and grow.
We all make trash, but not all of it can be recycled. It’s important to know which things are okay to throw away in your trash and which ones can be recycled.
All food items can be composted and turned into new soil for plants, but plastic containers cannot be recycled with paper products or energy (due to the fact that they are made from oil). However, many cities have a program called curbside recycling. This means that instead of throwing items away, you can put them out by your trash cans on certain days and they will pick them up and take them away where they will eventually be recycled.
Helps Protect the Wildlife: You’ve probably seen the heart-wrenching photos of sea turtles tangled in plastic bags, which is why it’s alarming that over 1 million plastic bags are used every minute worldwide. Because of their durability, light weight and high resistance to decay, these bags often end up in our oceans, where they pose a serious threat to marine life. The bags resemble jellyfish when floating underwater and can easily be confused with a food source by hungry sea turtles. If ingested, the bags can block their digestive tract from closing and cause a slow and painful death. Although there are other factors contributing to the endangerment of sea turtles, such as poaching for their shell and meat or habitat loss, reducing our dependence on single-use plastics will help ensure the longevity of this species.
This is a serious problem and can be avoided with proper recycling efforts. In order to ensure that we are contributing to the health of the earth, we must recycle everything possible. It’s time that we embrace the idea of reusable bags—not only will they help protect our oceans and wildlife, but can also help save money- some stores offer small discounts if you bring a reusable bag!
Reduce Pollution: In order to process new materials an abundant amount of energy, chemicals, and pollution is released into the environment. These pollutants and chemicals have been known to cause deadly diseases, so being able to limit this can reduce any diseases caused by pollution.
The way we produce and consume plastics is detrimental to the environment. It’s estimated that in 2012, around 300 million tons of plastic were produced globally. In addition, about 5% of it was recycled, 12% was incinerated, and a whopping 79% ended up in landfills or the natural environment. These numbers are staggering, but what’s even more striking is that the amount of plastic produced has increased by 400% over the last 50 years.
Research has shown that most of these plastics don’t biodegrade, but break down into smaller and smaller pieces of toxic material called microplastics. These microplastics have been found in marine organisms as large as whales and as small as plankton. Due to their small size, these microplastics are easily ingested by marine life and can cause internal damage. This damage can lead to decreased reproduction rates, cancerous lesions, and death. In addition to health issues for marine life due to microplastics, humans are also at risk for exposure to these harmful chemicals. Humans are exposed to microplastics when they eat seafood with high concentrations of microplastics or when they breathe in air polluted with these tiny particles. The chemicals released from burning plastics also contribute to environmental degradation.
Saves Energy:
The US uses about 97 million tons of plastic per year, and only 7% of that is recycled (US EPA). Out of all the plastics that are produced every year, only 10% get recycled, with the other 90% ending up in landfills. This may not seem like a bad thing, but when you consider the fact that much of this plastic is single-use and non-biodegradable, it becomes very problematic.
The process of recycling can be resource-intensive. It requires both energy and material to recycle something. But recycling can actually reduce energy consumption by 30%. Instead of making new material from scratch and then transporting it across the country or around the world to wherever it is needed, recycled materials can be used with little extra effort.
Reduces Incineration: When products are recycled instead of thrown away, they can be reused and the number of things that are sent to incinerators can be reduced.
Using an incinerator to dispose of waste can be very damaging to the environment. Plastics, metals, and other materials that are burned in the incinerators release chemicals into the air that have been known to cause birth defects. While recycling is much more expensive than throwing away items or using an incinerator, it reduces the amount of harmful chemicals released into the environment.
Reduces environmental diseases: Trash and landfill sites that are not properly maintained can attract flies, rodents, and germs. The number one reason for this is the amount of waste that is being produced at the site. This waste can be in the form of trash cans, human waste, or any other type of waste that needs to be disposed of properly. If the site is unable to maintain control of these types of wastes, then it will be almost impossible to keep flies, rodents and germs away from the site.
Flies have been known to be linked to at least 65 diseases. The thought of flies being attracted to a landfill is disturbing. Waste management facilities have been known to have issues with flies. The smell alone poses a problem, but the waste can cause more severe issues if the facility is not operated properly.
Can help prevent cancer: This goes hand in hand with reducing incineration. Many of the things that don’t get reused or recycled will be burned. The burning of some materials can release chemicals into our environment that could cause tumors or extremely harmful diseases.
Have you ever wondered about the chemicals in the smoke from your chimney? The truth is that burning things releases toxic chemicals. Those toxins make their way into the atmosphere, and then they can be inhaled by anyone in the area. Many of those exposed to these toxins may get cancer within their lifetimes.
Helps create potential jobs: Recycling is economically beneficial because it requires human labor to sort through and organize all of the materials that get brought in. Sorting through garbage is not an appealing job, but at least with recycling, the workers are doing something that could potentially better their lives.
