Why Recycle?

There are many reasons to recycle. We have to do something about all of the garbage we produce. The U.S. produces over a half a ton of garbage per person per year, and the figure is still growing. Traditionally, we bury most of our garbage in landfills, but they are filling up and closing down all over the country. Even if all the landfills were available, there would still be health and safety concerns. Most landfills were built before safety standards became a high priority, so most of them are not equipped to stop toxic materials from leaching into groundwater. On the other hand, burning garbage is not a solution. Incinerators spew out gases that contain toxic dioxins and contribute to acid rain. On top of this, incinerators also produce millions of tons of toxic ash that still has to be placed in landfills.
Unlike landfills, which simply stockpile trash; or incineration, which leaves toxic ash to be disposed of, recycling removes waste completely, then turns it back into useful products. Recycling is cheaper than landfilling or incineration; a profit can even be made on it. Some communities pay more to get rid of their trash than they do to maintain their police departments. Recycling saves towns and consumers money; when there's less garbage, we pay less to dump it. Recycling also saves natural resources. We can make many products from recycled material instead of using virgin material- a few examples include aluminum, glass, paper and motor oil. Our resources are finite- if we don't recycle, they will soon be gone. Recycling conserves energy, too. Using recycled materials instead of virgin materials saves as much as half of the energy needed for production. Less chemicals and lower temperatures are used in the process, which is a benefit to both land and air.
Why Recycle? Because you can personally benefit the Earth in so many ways. Do your part!

Source: The EarthWorks Group. The Recycler's Handbook. EarthWorks Press, Berkeley, CA. 1990.