Reduce, re-use and recycling are all key to helping our environment and avoiding the worst effects of climate change.
Why is recycling so important, specifically?
Every single day, more environmental damage is done by creating, using and disposing of virgin materials. Recycling provides an alternative approach because it reduces our need for extracting, refining, and processing raw materials all of which cause air and water pollution and carbon emissions. This is something that each one of us can do something about.
Recycling is positive for the environment, because it helps reduce our dependence on virgin materials, building a more “circular economy”, with less greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are the main drivers of climate change: harmful for our planet, and ultimately all of humanity. Man-made releases of increasing levels of greenhouse gases alter the natural processes occurring in the atmosphere, which is detrimental for our future and causes so much damage over time.
Greenhouse gasses cannot be reversed, and research shows it could take 1,000 to even begin to make a stop to GHG. This means we need to stop while we can instead of adding to the damage. Recycling is a huge contributing factor in the damage to our planet.
Furthermore, recycling correctly means the volume of waste sent to landfills and incinerators will be reduced, pollution can be tackled, and we can conserve energy where possible. Even though we don’t see the negatives or positives of recycling in everyday life, we all need to come together to be aware and do our own part, which may not seem like a lot but in the long run will make all the difference.
The link below goes into more detail with exact materials and shows facts about exactly how much is being thrown away.
What happens to my recycling? | Recycle Now
Overall, even just putting your coke cans in the correct bin for them to be recycled correctly will make a difference.
