Recycling
Recycling is the reprocessing of materials that would otherwise become waste in order to make them into new products. This is in contrast with reuse: collecting waste such as food containers to be cleaned, refilled and resold. Recycling prevents waste being landfilled or incinerated, reduces the consumption of new raw materials, and is advocated by supporters to require less energy than virgin production Commonly recycled materials include glass, paper, aluminium, asphalt, steel, textiles and plastic. These materials can be derived either from pre-consumer waste (materials used in manufacturing) or post-consumer waste (materials discarded by the consumer). Recycling is a key concept of modern waste management and is the third component of the waste hierarchy. To be recycled waste has to be sorted and separated. Waste sorting can be done by the waste producer, at kerbside collection sites, or at a materials recovery facility. In everyday speech the word recycling often refers to the practice of waste sorting done by consumers.
One of the main benefits of recycling comes from reducing the amount of new material required. In theory, recycling allows a material to be continually reused for the same purpose, and in many cases this theory holds true, most notably in the recycling of metals and glass.
Since less raw material is required, recycling creates further benefits for materials where cost of the initial extraction or production is high?either economically, socially or environmentally. The recycling of aluminium, for example, saves 95% of the CO2 emissions?an environmentally harmful greenhouse gas?compared to refining new metal.
Concerns about limited resources such as raw materials and land space for disposal of waste have increased the importance of recycling. However maximum environmental benefit is gained by reducing the amount of waste produced, and reusing items in their current form, for example refilling bottles. All recycling techniques consume energy, for transportation and processing, and some also use considerable amounts of water. Both of these resources have an environmental impact which is why campaigners use the slogan Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to indicate the preferred order for waste management in the waste hierarchy.
Alasdair Meldrum is founder and director of Albion Environmental Ltd. Specialising in providing training and consultancy services to to waste management and environment industry across the UK. http://www.albion-environmental.co.uk
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