One of the greatest benefits of recycling is pollution prevention. Energy savings is one of the ways that recycling reduces pollution emissions. When less energy is used to make products,fewer fossil fuels are burned and less green house gas, mercury, and other harmful chemicals are emitted into the atmosphere to pollute our air, water, soil. For example, that aluminum can made from recycled material that required only 5% of the energy needed to produce it from raw materials, also produced 95% less air pollution. Another benefit of recycling, is its potential to preserve our
natural resources, many of which are being depleted at alarming rates. Recycling allows us to
use these resources more than once, reducing the need to chop down, extract, process, refine
and transport natural resources such as timber, petroleum, and mineral ores. Glass, for example,
never wears out. It can be recycled over and over again. In the case of aluminum, 4 pounds of
bauxite ore is saved for every pound of aluminum that is recycled (CRI). By supplying industry
with recycled materials, rather than virgin resources, recycling also preserves biodiversity by
slowing the destruction of forests, wetlands, rivers and other places essential to wildlife.
Additionally, other detrimental impacts, such as soil erosion associated with logging and mining,
are lessened.
Considering these facts, you can begin to understand that the benefits of recycling encompass much more than waste management objectives. While recycling goes a long way in preserving valuable landfill space, it also has enormous potential for economic and environmental benefits. This is why disposing of materials that could be recycled is truly a careless waste of a valuable resource.
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