Recycling - What it Really Is

Recycling has become the catch all phrase oftenrecycling. Each Thursday the council sends around
used in place of the 3 R's. But in its truest formmen to collect our recyclables. The council gives
recycling means taking one thing and changing it,us re-usable sacks, which we can use to collect all
usually chemically, into another. This is not to saypaper, cardboard, tin cans, aluminium, glass bottles
that recycling is without value; it is certainly betterand jars and plastic bottles. Unfortunately, they do
than putting the items in the bin where they willnot over recycling for other plastics. As I have
end up in landfills and leach chemicals into ourbeen writing this series of blogs that has been
ground water. It is though to say that before youone thing that I have been especially mindful of:
place anything in the recycle bag, first consider ifhow much plastic packaging manufacturers use
you could reduce or re-use it, because everythingthat cannot be recycled and that it is estimated
that ends up in the recycling bag will have to betakes over 500 years to decompose in landfills.
altered before it can be used again. Even then it isBut it is not just our plastics, glass, metals and
cleaner to produce goods from recyclables thanpaper that we recycle. Thanks to a wonderful
from raw materials.programme through the Islington council, last year
Here are just a few reasons to make certain thatwe were able to purchase a subsidized wormery
after you have reduced the amount of wasteto recycle our food waste into compost and liquid
your create and re-used as many things asfertilizer for growing my own food. Actually, even
possible that your family puts as many things asthough we may think that food thrown into the
possible into the recycling bins:bin will degrade relatively quickly in the landfills, the
- Recycling one aluminium can saves enoughbiggest problem is the amount of methane, a
energy to run a TV for three hours -- or thedangerous green house gas, which it produces in
equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.that time. Methane is twenty times more potent
- Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper canthan carbon dioxide and a major contribute to
save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yardsclimate change. While my wormery cannot
of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, andaccommodate meat products I put all peels and
7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64%unused fruits and vegetables into it. I should soon
energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60be harvesting my first patch of compost...just in
pounds less of air pollution!time for my summer garden.
- The 17 trees saved (above) can absorb a totalSo how does my family do on recycling? Not too
of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the airbad honestly. This week we had two bags of
each year. Burning that same ton of paper wouldrecyables and will only have two half full 13 gallon
create 1500 pounds of carbon dioxide.bin bags of other rubbish. Actually hubby and I got
- Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy asinto a minor disagreement over the trash last
burning it in an incinerator.night. One of the first rules of the 3R's is to only
- The energy saved from recycling one glassthrow out your garbage when the bag is full. In
bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.our case though, it had begun to smell. I am still
It also causes 20% less air pollution and 50% lesslooking for a solution...if anyone has ideas they
water pollution than when a new bottle is madewould be greatly appreciated. But for a family of
from raw materials.three adults and one pre-schoolers two large bags
- A modern glass bottle would take 4000 yearsof recycling and one full 13 gallon bin bag in a
or more to decompose -- and even longer if it's inweek is pretty good I think. I imagine that there
the landfill.are single people, who put more than one bag in
Today is the actually a great day to talk aboutthe bin each week.