The most obvious reasons for recycling are also the most familiar. We think about overflowing landfills or that Iron Eyes Cody ad campaign from the 70s. Recycling helps keep our Earth clean. It counters habitat degradation, keeps trash out of landfills and away from waterways and oceans. It saves forests from being cut down and new mines from being built.
Recycling impacts our environment in less visible ways than clean sea birds and blissful hippies. When managed correctly, recycling materials is far more energy efficient than mining for raw ones - which means less air and water pollution for all of us. Depending on the material, recycling can save as much as 95% of the energy needed to manufacture products from new materials. That means 95% less coal or natural gas has to be burned to make these products, which has a significant impact on clearing our air.
If the environmental impacts aren’t enough, the recycling sector also has the potential to add thousands of sustainable jobs to the economy. According to the Indiana Recycling Coalition, recycling creates jobs at a 10:1 ratio compared to landfill operations. Those energy savings we mentioned above also translate into serious cost savings for manufacturers.
Some numbers to think about:
