Recycling is something that is gaining much ground in today’s world. As consumers we use a massive amount of recyclable goods, and a large majority is not recycled at all. Recycling means using old materials, such as plastic bottles or cardboard boxes, and turning them into new products, normally packaging. It can greatly reduce the amount of waste that we have to deal with as well as have a positive impact on our environment. Even though it may seen that recycling is a perfect solution, it has it’s drawbacks as well.
The Pros of Recycling
- Reduces Consumption of Energy – Large amounts of energy are being consumed in raw material processing during manufacturing. Recycling can help lessen consumption of energy that is very important for massive production like refining and mining. Also, this makes the process of production beneficial to the manufacturers and more cost effective.
- Protects the Environment – Undoubtedly the foremost advantage of recycling is that this protects the environment in an extremely balanced matter. As trees are continually cut down, the recycled paper created from some trees is being repeatedly reused for minimizing deforestation or felling. With the recycled paper being a great example, numerous other natural resources are also reusable in this way.
- Lessens Pollution – Today, the industrial waste is the primary source of all kinds of pollution. The recycling of industrial products like chemical, cans, and plastics can help in cutting down the levels of pollution considerably because the materials will be reused instead of being irresponsibly thrown away.
- Helps Conserve the Natural Resources – Once used and old materials will not be recycled, new products will be made from extracting the fresh raw materials from below the earth through extraction and mining. Recycling can help in conservation of the essential raw materials while protecting the natural habitats for future use. Conservation of natural resources like materials, water and wood will ensure their optimum use.
The Cons of Recycling
- Not Consistently Cost Effective – Recycling is not cost effective all the time. Sometimes, it might be needed to create separate factories for processing reusable products. It can make more pollution such as in transportation, cleaning and storage.
- Unhygienic and Unsafe Recycling Sites – The sites for recycling are often unhygienic and unsafe. Areas where all kinds of waste are being dumped are susceptible to formation of debris and disease spread as well as other dangers as the result of harmful waste and chemicals. It will not just cause widespread pollution for this is also harmful for those people dedicated in recycling those products. Once combined with water, this waste can lead to formation of leachate, leading to toxication of bodies of water, which include drinking water.
- Products of Recycling Do Not Last – The recycled products are not of the best durable quality at all times. These items are commonly made of some trashed waste, taken from the heaps of several other waste items that are overly used or fragile. This is reason why recycled products are very cheap, lasting for only a short period of time.
How Do You Feel About Recycling?
Do you think recycling’s benefits outweigh its drawbacks? What do think can recycling do to the environment?
