Making a positive change in the world is achievable with a few easy adjustments to your daily routine. A good way to start is by reusing and repurposing everyday items. Recycling bottles and cans have a huge impact on the environment. Before describing the many benefits of returning beverage and food containers to the recycling depot, here is some insight into what recycling is and what is involved in the process.
Recycling 101
When you have products that are ready to be thrown away, think twice before you toss them into the garbage. Instead of adding to the reusable items in your local landfill, allow them to be turned into new products through the process of recycling.
What are three main things you can recycle?
- Food and beverage containers (check with your local recycling company to see what specific materials can be recycled)
- Paper
- Paperboard and flattened cardboard
Remember to always clean and dry any items you are recycling to limit the possibility of them rotting and turning into trash.
Why Recycle?
Here are some of the benefits of recycling:
- Sparks creativity in artisans who make products such as cards, clothing, and jewelry out of recycled materials that were once used for a different purpose.
- Jobs are created for people to perform recycling tasks such as sorting, driving, and counting.
- Earn extra income from the deposit money you get on returnable items.
- Reduces the use of new raw materials from the environment. New products do not always need to be sourced from nature.
- Promotes community awareness by educating the community on the importance of recycling through fundraising programs that support schools, hospitals, and sports facilities.
- Saves space in your home or garage by getting rid of reusable items you no longer need.
Environmental Benefits of Recycling Bottles and Cans
There are numerous environmental benefits of bottle and can recycling. Here are the top reasons to consider the importance of returning items to your local bottle depot:
- Helps save the planet – Recycle products instead of consuming more natural resources so non-renewable products like oil, steel, and other earth elements are conserved. This helps save the earth’s natural materials for future generations.
- Pollution reduction – When bottles and cans are thrown away, they end up in landfills, polluting the air, water, and land. Toxic waste is produced when the items in the landfill are incinerated. Harmful plastics destroy wildlife and interfere with the planet’s ecosystems. Recycling keeps unwanted materials out of lakes, rivers, and oceans.
- Helps eliminate global warming – Creating new materials emits high volumes of gasses like carbon dioxide, sulfur, and nitrogen into the ecosystem, adding to global warming. When products are recycled, there is a substantial reduction in the emission of toxic chemicals. Reusing existing products requires less energy and produces fewer undesirable effects.
- Energy saving – It takes a ton of energy to create bottles and cans. When products are recycled, less energy is required to create usable items from the same material.
- Green technology – Everyday recycling of bottles and cans makes people realize how important it is to do their part. From using renewable energy like solar power, recycling products, and reducing pollution, the goal is to help save the environment. New technologies are seeking to transform recycled plastics into usable solar energy.
Plastic, Metal, and Glass – How They Each Affect the Environment
Plastics, metals, and glass all affect the environment in different ways.
Plastics:
- Believed to take over 500 years to decompose
- Can harm or kill land and marine animals when they get tangled up in the waste
- Most plastics are recyclable and can be recycled several times before losing quality
Metals:
- Metals like aluminum cans can take 100 or more years to decompose
- Aluminum is a metal that can be recycled endlessly
- Aluminum is the most recyclable metal
Glass:
- Can take about one million years to decompose
- According to the World Wildlife Fund, recycled glass reduces air pollution by 20% and water pollution by 50%
- Can be recycled endlessly
Environmental Aid – More Than One Way
Reduce
Help the environment and your local bottle depot by not just recycling but reducing waste. You can cut down on or stop using materials that negatively impact the environment. This takes the pressure off bottle depots and helps improve the planet. Try using more environmentally friendly materials like steel or bamboo.
Reuse or Repurpose
You can reuse some bottles several times before giving them up for recycling. Why not repurpose a bottle or can into a vase for your flowers?
Upcycle
Selling items can come in handy by providing you with some extra cash and helping the environment by keeping it out of a landfill. Retro glass items are becoming more popular and make great pieces of art.
Finally…
Next time you think of throwing something out as waste, think again. There may be a way to salvage that worn out coffee mug or grandma’s mason jars. Whether it be the 3 R’s you just learned about or recycling your bottles and cans at the nearest bottle depot, you can make a difference.
Recycling helps the world become a cleaner place for humans and animals alike. Saving the planet one step at a time by recycling bottles and cans can help prevent extinction and allow future generations to enjoy cleaner air and a greener planet.
Find out how you can help the environment by contacting Happy Can Bottle Depot for recycling information today. Visit our NE Calgary location, or schedule a pick up of your recyclable goods.
