Audience: Elementary School Students
Methods of discarding trash can be separated into various bins depending on the type of material the trash is composed of. Photo by Nareeta Martin from Unsplash.
Oftentimes, fun classroom activities include using scrap materials, like dirty plastic cups and used paper, to create something new and usable, like a lamp! While doing so, you are putting items that could very well have been thrown away to good use. This is an incredible concept of reusing materials you already have to make something entirely new.
This process is very similar to recycling. When you recycle, waste is converted into reusable material. By doing this, energy and resources are saved because the same material is being used for different purposes. This is an effective and efficient method because, as the amount of waste increases, the amount of garbage piling up on our planet increases. For example, out of the 268 million tons of waste that the United States produces each year, 140 million tons of that waste, which is about 52%, goes to landfills and likely will never be used to create something again.
When something is recycled, factories can use the material to make new products out of it. For example, bags, bike tires, and notebooks can all be made from recycled items. When something is thrown into the trash, instead of the recycling bin, then that item gets dumped into the landfill. From there, the waste is compressed, covered with dirt, and eventually decomposed. However, recyclable items like plastic often do not decompose if they are thrown in the trash, causing the plastic to be of no use.
A lot of types of materials can be recycled. This includes cardboard boxes, glass, books, plastic, paper, and even tires! There are so many items that, although it may not be of use to you, if recycled, can be used to create something new for someone else! In this way, not only are you helping the Earth by saving resources, cost, and energy, but you are also helping the others around you.
Have you ever heard of the Three R’s? They stand for Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Reduce means to limit the amount of trash we produce. Reuse means to use items again or in other ways instead of throwing them away. Finally, recycle means to turn old and perhaps useless items into something new and useful. For example, this could mean turning plastic milk jugs into picnic benches or playground equipment!
On bins in your neighborhood, you might often see the sign below. This symbol represents recycling, which means that any recyclable items can be put in here. Then, when it’s time for the garbage trucks to collect all the items from the trash cans, the items in the recycling bin are placed separately from the items from the other bins. From here, these items will be used to create new products through recycling.
Recycling is an action that benefits our planet as a whole. By reusing items, we are no longer forced to extract raw materials from the Earth. By reducing damage to the Earth, plants and animals too largely benefit. Fewer trees are cut for paper, less homes of animals are destroyed, and the air remains cleaner and less polluted. Natural resources are saved, and ecosystems, wildlife, and energy are better preserved. Recycling, with its many benefits, requires a minimal amount of effort to contribute to. With more people
recycling, there will be less waste and more productivity. Before throwing away any item, ask yourself, can it be recycled? Remember the three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle!
Bibliography:
How much trash does the U.S. really produce?. How Much Waste Does the U.S. Produce? | Dumpsters.com. (n.d.). https://www.dumpsters.com/blog/us-trash-production
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Knowledge Bank - Solar Schools. (n.d.). https://www.solarschools.net/knowledge-bank/sustainability/reduce-reuse-recycle
The U.S. Recycling System | US EPA. (n.d.). https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/us-recycling-system
What is Recycling & What to Recycle. WM. (n.d.). https://www.wm.com/us/en/recycle-right/recycling-101
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