The 24 Biggest Benefits of Recycling

Today, it’s pretty much accepted that recycling is the right thing to do for the planet. But many aren’t yet aware of the full economic, social, and environmental potentials recycling brings when we participate in a comprehensive program. 

We want to help people understand the full benefits of recycling. With a deeper understanding of why recycling is an undeniable force for good on our planet, we can make better decisions that benefit everyone.

7 Main Reasons Why We Recycle

Yes, we need to recycle so that we can save the planet. That should be a given in 2021. But what does that really mean in practice? We have determined that proper recycling creates seven direct impacts upon the world around us:

1. Conserves natural resources
2. Decreases ecosystem destruction
3. Reduces waste and landfill space
4. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
5. Shrinks other forms of pollution
6. Saves energy
7. Creates jobs

Recycling can really change our environment, economy, and society. Since these benefits have such overlapping effects, we wanted to discuss them as such.

5 Environmental Benefits of Recycling

When you make the conscious choice to reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle everything possible, you are doing your part to reduce the amount of new exploration, excavation, and development required to keep society functioning. Most of the materials used to create the goods and products we use in everyday life are finite, which means they’ll run out eventually. As we’re seeing with oil and natural gas, there might be more of it within the earth, but they’re at such deep levels, that it’s not feasible for the planet or economy to extract them. 

Thus, we need to recycle.

The positive effects are practically endless, as it can accomplish the following:

8. Reduce the number of natural resources we have to gather
9. Lower the amount of waste we create and send to landfills
10. Decrease the number of delicate ecosystems impacted by resource extraction
11. Reduce the number of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere
12. Lower the overall pollution of our air, water, and land by not extracting new resources every time we need something

Recycling is a holistic exercise that involves thinking about your fellow humans and making the conscious choice to take care of the environment we all share. 

6 Economic Benefits of Recycling

Just because recycling takes a bit more time to gather enough materials to create products and goods doesn’t mean the economy slows down. In fact, multiple studies from governmental and environmental agencies report that increasing activity in recycling boosts the quality and quantity of available jobs. Other benefits of recycling include:

13. Reducing the need to create new landfill space
14. Increasing the investment in eco-friendly infrastructure
15. Improving resource allocation to recycling programs and facilities
16. Reducing waste by converting garbage and recycling vehicles to electric
17. Growing the circular economy involved in all reduce, reuse, and repurpose activities
18. Saving money by lowering how often people need to buy brand-new items

These benefits apply to both governments and households. The more you can refrain from purchasing new items by reusing and recycling, the more money everyone can save.

6 Social Benefits of Recycling

As you’d imagine, a clean environment and a thriving economy combine to make for a healthy society. By investing time, energy, and resources into recycling, governments and communities around the world can deliver ample benefits we can all appreciate:

19. Improved public health
20. Increases in our shared purpose of caring for the planet
21. Improved communal spirit
22. Growth in public trust
23. Increasing the number of people and businesses committed to eco-friendly practices
24. Enhancing people’s sense of purpose by contributing to improving community and world

A society filled with people who feel better inside and out is more likely to bond together to achieve bigger and better things. Working as a society means you collectively understand that teamwork makes things better for everyone.

How Can I Contribute to the Benefits of Recycling?

It starts by investigating the recycling program in your area and then actively participating. It also means that you must follow the rules and regulations imposed by your local recycling center because not every location can process the same materials. Thus, before you load up a recycling bucket with whatever sounds good to you, you should check to see what’s acceptable.

This includes:

• Plastics
• Aluminum
• Steel
• Other metals
• Glass

You also need to determine what you should do with other recyclables that aren’t accepted at even the largest centers:

• Electronic waste
• Wood
• Food waste
• Clothing
• Other fabrics

You can also take your new energy for recycling and petition your city to communicate its recycling policies, rules, and regulations more openly. Most people want to do the right thing, but they also don’t know where to get the right information. Thus, more people will make better choices for the planet if they don’t have to go searching for information in hard-to-find places.

For more information about what you can do to experience all the possible benefits of recycling, visit the Green and Sustainable Living Guide created by Chariot Energy! 

Sources:

1. https://friendsoftheearth.uk/sustainable-living/7-benefits-recycling
2. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/benefits-of-recycling.php
3. https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-benefits-recycling
4. https://nems.nih.gov/environmental-programs/Pages/Benefits-of-Recycling.aspx
5. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics
6. https://www.rockwoolgroup.com/our-thinking/blog/benefits-of-recycling-in-a-business-model/
7. https://harmony1.com/recycling-industry-creates-jobs/
8. https://www.consciouscreatives.co.uk/planet/recycling/
9. https://www.epa.gov/smm/recycling-economic-information-rei-report
10. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycling-impact-community.htm
11. https://wasteadvantagemag.com/five-ways-recycling-can-benefit-your-community/ 
12. https://www.reworkssa.org/About-Us/Benefits-of-Recycling