I’m Alex. I’m going
to tell you why it is
important to
recycle
Recycling means taking materials from products you have finished
using and making brand new products with them
Making new things from recycled ones takes less money, less
energy, and less of the Earth’s resources. Because less energy is
used, factories don’t release as much pollution either
Aluminum and steel cans, cardboard, glass, newspapers and plastic
bottles are all recyclable. These items can be made into new
products including cans that hold food and drinks, the steel used
to build skyscrapers and school buses, cardboard boxes, glass
jars and bottles, newspaper and office paper, plastic laundry
detergent bottles and even playground equipment!
Glass
Glass never wears out -- it can be recycled forever
Most bottles and jars contain at least 25% recycled glass.
Recycling one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a
100-watt bulb for four hours
Glass is used to package many food products: juices, jellies,
vegetable oils, baby food, and so on. After source reduction
(using less glass to make a glass jar, for example), the best way
to deal with glass trash is recycling.
Recycling glass is a relatively good energy saver. Using recycled
glass to make new glass products requires 40 percent less energy
than making it from all new materials. It saves energy because
crushed glass, called cullet, melts at a lower temperature than
the raw materials used to make glass. New glass is made from
sand, soda ash, and limestone.
Old glass is easily made into new glass jars and bottles or into
other glass products like fiberglass insulation. And unlike paper,
glass jars and bottles can be recycled over and over again. The
glass doesn’t wear out.
Paper
Seventy-five percent of a tree harvested for paper does
not wind up as paper product.
Paper made from recycled paper instead of virgin fiber
requires 70% less energy.
What is the number one material in the solid waste stream?
Before you say plastics, look around your school classroom. What
do you see? Posters? Notebooks? Cardboard boxes? Textbooks?
Bulletin boards decorated with construction paper? You get the
picture. Paper is everywhere!
Paper is the number one material that we throw away. For every
100 pounds of trash we throw away, 35 pounds is paper.
Newspapers take up about 14 percent of landfill space, and paper
in packaging accounts for another 15 to 20 percent.
Paper has many forms. It can be glossy or ragged, thin or thick.
It can be the stuff of newspapers or the stuffing of diapers.
Most paper products are made from trees that have been cut and
pulped, though paper can also be made from old cloth or grass.
Recycling is the process of collecting certain materials that would
otherwise be considered waste — like old metal, paper, wood, or
plastic for example — and turning them into new “recycled”
products.
Families who recycle items such as paper, bottles and cans, place
the items in recycling collection bins. These bins usually have the
recycling symbol on them
This is one of the most important steps for recycling because if
people do not separate their recyclable materials from their
trash then the materials will not be recycled. Instead they will be
sent to the landfill with other trash.
Apart from the items you may recycle at home, many other things
such as old tires, computers, mattresses, cars and more are
recycled for parts and materials.
The second step involves processing the recyclable materials.
This includes sorting the materials into groups, cleaning them and
getting them ready to be sold to manufacturers who will turn the
materials into new products.
Manufacturing is the third step in the recycling process. Today
many products are made out of either total or partial post
consumer (recycled) materials. Many items you may see every day
are made from recycled materials. Newspapers, paper towels,
office paper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans are not only made
of recycled materials, but they can also be recycled again.
The last step, but certainly not the least, involves the purchasing
of recycled products. If you have the choice to purchase a
product made from recycled materials, instead of one that was
not, what do you think you should do?
Recycling is one of many ways that people can cut down the
amount of carbon dioxide that is released into our atmosphere.
Purchasing recycled paper is also better for the environment
because it takes less energy to produce recycled paper and saves
some trees along the way
MATERIAL
CAN be recycled
CAN’T be recycled HOW TO DO IT
GLASS
Jars, bottles
Clear, green, amber
Light bulbs, dishes,
Pyrex, crystal
Rinse, remove
lids.
Separate by
color
PAPER
Newspapers, boxes
egg cartons, phone
books,
white office paper
Waxed, glued,
plastic, or foil coated
Keep clean and
dry
ALUMINUM
All aluminum—cans
pie pans, foil wrap,
old windows, lawn
furniture
Rinse and crush
STEEL
Steel (tin) food
Rinse and crush
PLASTICS
All plastics
Check with your
recycler
Rinse
Keeping our planet clean and safe is everyone’s
duty. If you make a habit of reducing, reusing and
recycling, you can make the world a better place.
So, go for it! Protect our planet today and
everyday.
1) Why is it important to recycle?
2) What material can be recycled?
3) How many recycling stages are there?
4) What percentage of a glass jar is recycled?
5) What does the recycle symbol look like?
6) What is recycling?
7) What percentage of a tree harvested for paper winds up as
paper product?
8) What can old glass be made into?
9) Out of 100 pounds of trash, how much is not paper?
10)
How can you and your family help the environment?