07903853136 Did you know that only 44% of English households actually recycle? I didn’t know that either and frankly it surprised me a bit. I would have thought that in a world where we are all very aware of the dangers posed to the environment, more of us would recycle and more councils would set up recycling infrastructure. Hats off to Germany, Austria, and our neighbours Wales for being some of the only countries whose recycling rate is over 50%.
With our recycling rate being so low, I think its only right we look over the 10 benefits of recycling and how rubbish removal companies can help:
- Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill sites
This is a rather obvious benefit of recycling, if more rubbish is recycled, less is sent to the landfill. Makes sense right? The good news is that the amount of waste the UK is sending to landfills has been steadily falling since 2010. In 2010 the figure sat at 12.9 million tonnes whereas in 2020 it had reduced to 6.1 million tonnes.
- It protects the environment
Landfill sites are well known for being dangerous to the environment. The vast amount of rubbish at these sites is inorganic materials such as plastic, glass, or batteries filled with acid. Materials like these will often contaminate the soil, air, and water which not only harms the local environment but also the local wildlife as they consume the contaminated water or grass which grows on contaminated soil.
- Benefits our health
Landfills also pose a substantial threat to humans. The pollution of the local environment can harm us just like it harms the local wildlife. It can lead to skin irritation, respiratory issues such as tuberculosis, and even cholera.
- It saves energy
Recycling is far more energy efficient than making new products. This is best demonstrated by recycling aluminum cans which reduce the amount of energy needed by 95%. To put that into perspective, the amount of energy that is saved per aluminum can is enough to power a lightbulb for a few hours.
- Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced
Because you save so much energy when recycling compared to producing a new product, you emit far fewer greenhouse gases, which as is commonly known, are responsible for global warming.
- Reduces the number of natural resources necessary
Natural resources are finite so it’s important to use them conservatively, otherwise, we risk running out of them and leaving future generations with quite the issue. At a very simple level, recycling materials such as paper or wood save the forests which so many animals call home. Recycling metals means that fewer extractions of metal ores need to be performed, which in turn means less destruction of the environment and displacement of local communities. Whereas, recycling glass means that less sand is necessary for production. You may not believe this but sand is becoming a scarce resource.
- Recycling reduces production costs
As you may have figured after reading the above points, by reusing materials such as paper, plastic, glass, or metal, your business can save quite a lot of money on energy costs. This will surely reduce your production costs in two ways: 1) You don’t have to spend as much energy on producing new items and, 2) You won’t have to purchase large amounts of new material.
- Recycling boosts your mental health
Recycling can help you declutter your rooms, your house, or your office. Having a clean living/working environment is important to stay calm and stress-free. It also has the potential to make you feel like you’re a part of something bigger, a part of a community that acts as stewards for this earth – taking care of it for future generations.
- Helps create jobs
Increased recycling of course means that there is going to be a need for more recycling plants. This means more jobs will be created – these include roles such as sorters, tractor drivers, and managers. There will also be a rise in demand for employees at manufacturing companies, collection companies, and stores that sell used clothing.
- Educate people on the importance of protecting the environment
As recycling becomes more widespread, more awareness will be raised on the topic. People who previously didn’t recycle will become more informed and learn how to recycle.
How do waste collection companies play a part?
Waste collection companies such as ours make sure to recycle as much of the rubbish that they collect as is possible. Once we take your rubbish away, we sort it into separate bins in preparation for recycling. We then drop them off at the recycling plants. If necessary, we can supply pictures of the items that have been deposited at the recycling plant.