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Why Recycle Plastic?

Worldwide use of plastic has increased exponentially over the last four decades and has created an environmental monster. Because of the low cost and convenience of plastic, manufacturers of everything from bottles to bags have made the switch. Many products made today are recyclable, but this is only effective if the consumer actually invests ten seconds into recycling plastic waste materials.

Unfortunately, only about twenty percent of the bottles and bags that we use end up in the recycling bin. The rest end up in landfills or floating in the ocean. In order to biodegrade, plastic needs sunlight and water. Even under ideal conditions, the average plastic bag can take up to twenty years to decompose in a landfill, and a plastic bottle can take up to four hundred years. Many landfills cover the garbage and seal it to prevent water from seeping in. This delays or even stops the process of biodegrading, so the plastic is left just taking up space in the landfill.

When you recyle plastic, it is used to produce such items as filling for sleeping bags and vests, cassette tapes, rope, and other bottles. The energy that is required to produce these items from scratch is significantly more than the energy used to make them from recycled products and thus recycling reduces both the use of fossil fuels and the amount greenhouse gases that are produced when they are burned.

By recycling plastic instead of throwing it away, we are reducing the size of landfills, decreasing the use of fossil fuels and the production of greenhouse gases, and minimizing the amount of water and air pollution that is contributing to the demise of Earth as we know it. The next time you finish off that bottle of water, toss it in the recycle bin instead of the trash can. The Earth will thank you for it.

• Tell people you conserve energy and use enery efficient appliances.
• Read a book that explains how to conserver energy.
• Look for small ways you can conserve energy every day.