Why Is Recycling Important, you may ask. Recycling is reusing materials in original or changed forms rather than discarding them as wastes. In reusing material or changing material into new materials rather than throwing it away the environment as well as we benefit from it.

Why Is Recycling Important?

Some benefits include: saving energy, saving land space, saving money, creating new jobs, reducing air and water pollution and preserving habitat for wildlife. That's why recycling is important and you should take a closer look at your life and how your recycle materials used in your daily life.

Saves Energy

It takes less energy to process recycled materials than it does to use virgin materials. For example, it takes less energy to recycle paper from waste material than it does to create paper from new woodland, because there is no longer a need to cut down a new tree, process the wood from the tree and make it into paper.

What is so important about saving energy through recycling? Energy from non-renewable resources is protected and saved for future generations, money is saved when less energy is used (this can also mean more competitively priced goods) and often pollution and emissions are reduced when less energy is used.

For example, production of recycled paper uses 80% less water and 65% less energy, and produces 95% less air pollution than virgin paper production. (I Love A Clean San Diego)

Save Money and Land Space

Recycling reduces trash in landfill sites, which cuts down on the cost of waste disposal and the clearing of more land for new landfills when the current landfills become too full to store any more waste. Recycling is an easy and less expensive alternative to clearing more land for new landfills. For example, composting, recycling kitchen waste and yard waste into compost provides a means of free nutritious soil for gardening. In addition, most waste is not biodegradable. Its stays in the landfills for years to come, just sitting there and piling up with the rest of the trash. Recycling would allow us to reuse the materials over and over again.

Air Pollution and Water Pollution

Decomposing waste often release noxious gases and chemicals as it decomposes at landfill sites. These gas and chemicals create air pollution Air pollution is exactly what it sounds like, polluted air. When the chemicals leach into the groundwater this creates water pollution and our water is contaminated. In 2000, recycling of solid waste prevented the release of 32.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE, the unit of measure for greenhouse gases) into the air. (Recycling-Guide)

Imagine how much pollution we could prevent if instead of landfills we had recycling centers. We could breathe cleaner air and drink cleaner water.

Creates Jobs

Recycling in the U.S. is a $236 billion a year industry. More than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises employ 1.1 million workers nationwide. (National Recycling Coalition)

If we created more recycling opportunities we would create more jobs and no one would have to loose their jobs either.

Additional Benefits

Recycling also preserves wildlife. When fewer trees are cut down to make virgin material or to make space landfills, habitat for wildlife remains. More habitat for animals means less animal extinction.

Despite what some may say, recycling is important and it can makes a difference. We may not be able to solve our landfill and pollution problems anytime soon, but at least we can help keep them from getting worse.

Try it. It is really simple to do. Start with paper or plastic or both and take them to a recycling bin near your home. You don't have to drive extra to do it. Combine your recycling errands with others errands you have to do so you don't waste your time or your gas. For example, if you have to go grocery shopping fill up your car with your box of recyclable paper and dump it at the recycling bin near the store. Many grocery stores now have these bins available. If not ask them to start or participate in your neighborhoods curbside recycling program. If there isn't one available get one started in your neighborhood.