Recycling is part of modern life and is probably one of the most important activities. Everywhere you go you can see something related to it. Maybe a yellow bin, or signs or even people wearing a “help the planet” shirt. All these things relate to recycling. But why is it so important to recycle?
Firstly, we need to define the word “recycle”. Recycling is a process of reusing materials which include glass, paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, tires, textiles, batteries, and electronics. Recycling has been around since ancient times. Archeologists presume that people would recycle ash, cloth, pottery but it is not quite sure. In the 11th century the first paper recycling was recorded in Japan where shops sold reused paper. In Britain it was similar but they recycled ash from wood and coal fires. During the First World War it was encouraged to recycle metals like copper, aluminium, lead, etc. In all cases the reason for recycling was economical advantages but recently the effects these materials can cause to our planet have started to disturbus.
When you ask people “Why do you recycle?” most will say “to avoid the effects of not doing so”. These effects can be slow but catastrophic. For example micro plastics. As you can tell by the name, these are very small particles of plastic that have been worn down by the elements. These plastics affect the food chain and slowly poisons us. Materials like Styrofoam end up in landfills where the harmful chemicals go into the soil. This can create cancerous cells in the dirt. As it cannot dissolve that easily and it doesn’t weigh much, it floats on water and flies with the wind.
Recycling can prevent the negative effects waste has on our planet but the materials won’t recycle themselves. We need to get up and help. We must grab one of those t-shirts saying “save the planet” and start helping to save it. All you need to do is have 5 boxes for organic, plastic & metal, paper and glass waste. Once those boxes are full, outside your house there should be 4 or more colorful bins: red for plastic; yellow metals; green for glass; blue for paper; brown for organic waste; and black for mixed. You just need to put the contents of your boxes into the correct bins. It is as simple as that yet many people can’t do it.
To conclude, recycling is good, both for the planet and us. If we recycle we can escape the catastrophic effects caused by not recycling. The way we recycle is not that hard, only a few steps and you can make a big step towards saving our planet. After all, if we destroy this planet, we don’t have anywhere to go and feel at home. Remember: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!
Leire Orella
References
Recycling. (2021, May 05). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling
Recycling Basics. (2020, November 12). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics
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