Does recycling help the environment or is it actually a waste of time?
“We must recycle” is a recurring term that we have heard from many government officials recently. For many officials, recycling is more of a moral issue than a cost-benefit analysis. In fact, the survival of the recycling movement depends on factors such as continuous subsidies, education, advertising and related policies. In England, each household produces about one ton of waste per year, and this amount is increasing. The most common recyclable materials are: Paper, plastic, glass and metal. In fact, by separating our waste, we believe that we are helping society and the environment.
Are we really helping or wasting our time?
One of the main goals of the recycling movement was to eliminate the potential crisis because there is no other place to dump waste. But because more materials have been added to the recyclable list, this process is estimated to be more expensive than expected. The recycling operation itself is not environmentally friendly because during this process, more trucks move on the roads and the composting facility itself causes bad odors and pests. In addition, the price of recyclable materials has decreased due to lower oil prices and reduced demand from abroad.
Now we have to ask ourselves what is the purpose of this work?
To offset the greenhouse effect of a round-trip passenger flight from New York to London, we would need to recycle approximately 40,000 plastic bottles. If this passenger is traveling on a business class or first class flight, where each passenger takes up more space, this figure reaches 100,000 bottles. The main advantage of recycling is undoubtedly the reduction of carbon and greenhouse gas emissions because we reduce the need to produce new products and, therefore, operations such as mining, drilling and cutting down trees. In fact, this may be why New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that by 2030, New York City will send no more waste to landfills. مکالمهها برخیاز
But how different is this? Here are several perspectives:
According to the estimate of the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 90% of the reduction of greenhouse gases is from only a few substances. These materials include paper, cardboard and metals such as aluminum in beverage cans. Recycling one ton of metal or paper saves the production of about three tons of carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, recycling one ton of plastic can save just a little more than one ton of carbon dioxide. Also, a ton of food saves a little less than a ton. In the case of glass, you need to recycle three tons to help reduce one ton of greenhouse gas emissions. It is interesting to know that to save one ton of carbon dioxide, you will need a space with a capacity of 20 tons of garbage. So it is better to be more economical in paper and aluminum consumption.
What are the solutions to reach a sustainable and environmentally friendly society?
Start with simple strategies such as buying vegetable containers. Disposable vegetable containers are not only biodegradable, but also high quality and durable, and under suitable conditions (temperature, humidity and the presence of microbes), they decompose in nature for up to 6 months. Are. Also, use recycled paper, paper towels without white material. To reduce energy consumption, you can use appliances such as energy-saving lamps as much as possible.
