We have so far discussed what recycling is, its advantages and disadvantages, different kinds of recycling etc. Let us now see how recycling and pollution are linked with each other and how recycling pulls down pollution. We shall also discuss the worst polluters in the World and also how recycling prevents pollution.
We have learned the causes of pollution as well. It is a well learned fact that whatever we do or each single minute we live contributes to increase in pollution. Nobody can just hold breath to bring down the pollution rate. Lol! May be a nature lover can try it out… Jokes apart… coming back; let us deeply look into how recycling can lessen pollution.
We have already seen the 3 R’s of recycling: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This golden rule helps in cutting down pollution considerably and thus plays a significant role in making the World a better place to live.
Before going into much details, we shall just quickly understand who are the worst polluters in the World.
- Cultivation: The first and foremost can be Agriculture, can you believe that? Even though we cannot avoid this activity in any manner, we need to accept the fact. The use of pesticides and chemicals results in contaminating the soil and there by contaminating the underground water. The plants in order to give us a good yield requires great care and protection from certain pests. The chemical use kills these pests and that may affect the balance of nature as well. Read about Agricultural pollution.
- Industrial waste: The gas emissions and the by products or waste materials from the industries or factories contributes to pollution to a very great extent. The manufacturing or processing of raw materials includes many toxic substances such as mercury, lead, cadmium etc. Mostly the waste from the factories or manufacturing units are expelled to the rivers or lakes nearby. Releasing them directly to the atmosphere or to the water bodies pollutes the air, soil and water directly. Read about Industrial Pollution.
- Motor Vehicles: Motor vehicles contributes to around 75% of the pollution of air. Due to the incineration of fuels, carbon monoxide is being emitted to the atmosphere on a large quantity. Along with carbon monoxide, dust, lead, nitric oxides etc are also being released. These all pollutants cause smog and pulls down the air quality down considerably. As we know, use of motor vehicle is being increased day by day.
- Improper waste management: Waste mismanagement have brought the entire World to a big dilemma. Waste being dumped to land over and over again had ended up in landfills and those waste decomposition releases methane, which is a green house gas. And to our understanding, this methane is three times deadly than the carbon dioxide. Plastic is yet another question mark as it doesn’t decompose even after centuries. It is also observed that many people engage in burning this plastic to get rid of them but never thinks about the pollution caused by burning them. The plastics causes all kinds of pollution along with other wastes. Proper management of waste has to be done without affecting the nature. The pollutants are not limited to this. We were discussing as to who are the foremost ones. Pin pointing the major ones was the intention that was being served.
How recycling reduces pollution
Now let us see how important is recycling to prevent pollution. It is well understood for the common man that recycling of each product reduces the use of raw materials, considerably time saving and energy saving happens, cut off pollution to a considerable rate etc are the immediate consequences of recycling. We shall look into each of them in detail and recognize what are the results of recycling.
- Balanced Ecosystems:
whatsoever industrialization happens we need the initial raw materials from the Earth. Recycling helps in protecting earth from the extracting of raw materials and there by not disturbing the ecological balance. The ecological balance remains untouched for at least some time as recycling of goods doesn’t call in for new raw materials from the nature. Hence, we understand that our planet Earth is not disturbed for the raw materials by any means such as mining, budding, cultivating nor harvesting.
When recycling is initiated, deforestation will be prevented and as a result, animals are also being saved from depriving of their shelter. There will be less contamination of air, soil and water. Rivers also remain protected from all kind of pollution.
Plastic recycling prevents the plastic found in the landfills, oceans, lakes etc and thereby the threat of plastic pollution can be brought down to a great extent. Altogether, these help in non-disturbance of the ecological balance. - Natural resources preservation:
As discussed earlier, pollution will be brought down considerably by recycling, thus the natural resources are being preserved. Recycling helps in making new products without any afresh raw materials. The recycling of anything, for instance, plastic, paper, metal etc. can help in reducing pollution to a very great extent than what we believe. Plastic made of hydrocarbons causes harm to the environment but when not produced again and again it is actually helping the environment. Thus, plastic recycling is the ever-best thing to do to the nature. Likewise, paper recycling prevents deforestation to a certain limit. And the same happens when metals are recycled. If that is happening then there is no mining nor extraction. A lot of money too is saved by skipping these processes. - Diminution in use of raw-materials
When the recycling happens the raw-materials are not being extracted from Earth. This part has been discussed in point no.1 itself. Extraction of raw materials from Earth requires a lot of energy and the use of this energy results in pollution too. Thus, pollution is being controlled in that way too. Each step to prevent pollution in one way or the other can have direct impact on the rate of pollution that is being caused to the environment. - Hoards Energy
As seen in the above points, we have seen there is a lot of energy being saved. Energy saving implies that when energy is not being burned then any kind of pollution is not happening. Manufacturing of a new product with new raw materials burns lot of energy where as manufacturing with recycled goods requires very less energy. When steel is considered around 70-80 percent of energy is saved, and in case of aluminium, 90-97 percent of energy is saved. This indicates that there is no much carbon emission taking place while recycling hence the pollution rate also comes down.
Link between pollution and recycling
It is not so necessary to draw the link between them for those who have read the article so far. Because it is well understood from the lines that recycling pulls down the pollution by several ways. Each advantage of recycling indirectly or directly reaches the point of reducing pollution. Let’s quickly look in to them and conclude this article.
- Recycling reduces the waste sent to burners, there by reducing the carbon emission to the environment.
- We have learned that waste in landfills produces different gases such as methane. By recycling, the waste on landfills is considerably brought down thereby preventing the methane gas emission
- Raw-materials are being saved as recycling does not require new raw-materials. Thus extraction, mining etc are done on a reduced scale, hence a lot of energy is being saved. Less natural resources are being used as raw-materials demand will come down on recycling. Energy saving happens in this aspect also. Altogether this energy saved is huge. Energy saved means gas emission is not happening which directly implies reduction in pollution.
- Recycling reduces the green house gas emissions. Directly to pollution reduction again
As a whole, recycling reduces pollution to a much greater extend than expected. Recycling helps in
reducing pollution thus help us to live and let all other living organism live!
