Recycling is an activity that has gained momentum over the past several years as businesses, governments, and private citizens alike have realized its significance. Many businesses are now expecting their suppliers to recycle as part of an environmental management system, sometimes even as a condition of doing business. Recycling has grown to the point that it is a force to be reckoned with, in part, because it helps the economy.
Recycling Preserves Natural Resources
Any time an item is recycled, there is a direct connection to the demand for natural resources. The item has already impacted the natural resources from which it was made, so recycling it prevents another unit from having to come from those same resources. Lessening this demand has a positive impact on the economy. Companies like Main Street Fibers can help neighborhoods and businesses develop and expand their recycling programs so that they can start preserving natural resources as well. It is amazing how much of a difference something as small as recycling can make.
Recycling Reduces Landfill Waste
As landfills begin to fill up, the cost of disposal will increase accordingly. This is partly because of the law of supply and demand and partly because of the higher transportation cost involved with taking the waste to a landfill that is further away. Finding a beneficial use for these wastes keeps the landfills available. Some companies have gone so far as to set goals for themselves to reach the point of landfill-free operations.
Recycling Creates Jobs
As the number of materials that are recycled increases and ways to recycle more items are discovered, the number of people working in jobs that are related to the recycling industry will naturally increase. This not only include the people employed by the recycling facilities, but companies that send their products off-site for recycling will need people to manage the process onsite as well. In addition, there will be more demand for equipment like bailers and compactors that aid in the recycling efforts. Workers will need to be hired to help produce that equipment.
Recycling Saves Energy
Converting a recycled item into another product for which there is a need often requires less energy than it would take to create the same item from natural resources. The resulting energy savings convert to cost savings. Some items can go into the fuel blending program and will decrease the requirement for fossil fuels.
Recycling Reduces Pollution
One of the biggest sources of pollution is industrial waste. It can pollute the water as the runoff enters rivers, lakes, and streams. When the waste is sent to a landfill, there is always the possibility that pollutants can leach out and contaminate the groundwater. Items that are burned create air pollution. When these same items are recycled, they do not end up as waste that turns into pollutants.
Overall, whether the recycling efforts are by a large industry or an individual doing something as simple as recycling aluminum cans, every little bit helps the environment as well as the economy. It may seem like something so simple, but it can make a huge difference.
The Market Isn’t Always as Simple as It Sounds
For years, a lot of what was put in the recycling bin ended up being shipped to China, where everything was processed and sold. But in 2018, everything changed when China decided to stop accepting most of it, as a result, prices for recyclable materials dropped so fast, and some cities found themselves paying more to recycle than to just send the waste to a landfill. A few small towns dropped their recycling programs entirely because of it.
The market has seen some shifts ever since. Aluminum and some plastic types are now worth more than they were a few years ago, and more of the processing now happens locally instead of overseas. Costs in a lot of areas are still higher than before 2018, though. Recycling can still save resources, create jobs, and cut down on pollution, but it helps to know that the economics aren’t as clean as they used to be.
