subject: Recycling bins help the environment [print this page] Recycling bins Recycling bins
Recycling is fast becoming a part of everyday life, and having the right sort of kitchen recycling bin for each waste product is a great way to recycle your waste efficiently and effectively. Taking the waste out and dumping a black bag in just one bin for the dustman is a thing of the past. Recycling these days is mandatory in many countries and each recycling bin has to have the correct waste products put into it. In many councils and countries you can be fined is the incorrect waste is put into the wrong recycling bin.
Why using Recycling Bins matter
Recycling Conserves Resources - When we recycle, used materials are converted into new products, reducing the need to consume natural resources. If used materials are not recycled, new products are made by extracting fresh, raw material from the Earth, through mining and forestry. Recycling helps conserve important raw materials and protects natural habitats for the future.
Recycling bins save energy - Using recycled materials in the manufacturing process uses considerably less energy than that required for producing new products from raw materials even when comparing all associated costs including transport etc. Plus there are extra energy savings because more energy is required to extract, refine, transport and process raw materials ready for industry compared with providing industry-ready materials.
Recycling reduces carbon emissions - Recycling reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and processing raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution. As recycling saves energy it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle climate change. Current UK recycling is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of C02 a year the equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.
Recycling reduces Land fills - When we recycle, recyclable materials are reprocessed into new products, and as a result the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites reduces. There are over 1,500 landfill sites in the UK, and in 2001, these sites produced a quarter of the UK's emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
Recycling bins come in all shapes and sizes but most are based on the same principle that the bins are divided into several compartments for the different recycling materials. Many of the most popular recycling bins on the market have colour coded compartments, this makes it easier to assign a compartment for a type of waste; such as: red bin for glass and blue bins for paper. Perhaps one of the most comprehensive recycling bins available would be a bin with 3 internal bins, Yellow for the yellow sack, green for waste paper and brown for biodegradable waste. If this colour system is followed, all waste will end up in the right place and then you can do you bit in helping to stop unwanted waste going to landfills.
