The Power of Recycling: Making a Difference for a Better World

Abstract:

Report “Why Recycling is Important Essay” aims to shed light on the importance of recycling. The report contains a brief history of the origin of the recycling concept, the most common type of recycling, and a brief idea for each type and problem caused by improper disposal of wastes and the consequential damages caused by those problems.

Introduction:

Recycling is the process of materials used or damaged such as industrial, agricultural, household, and other wastes and reprocess, converting them into useful products for humans, to reduce their effect and to reduce their accumulation in the environment and therefore reduce pollution of air, water, soil and reduce toxic gas emissions. This report will concentrate on the Importance and value of recycling and elucidate briefly. As known, recycling is a huge subject, so it's quite hard to cover all the details about it. The report 'Importance of recycling Essay' will include the history of recycling, the importance of recycling, the most common types of recycling, and problems caused by improper disposal of waste.

History of Recycling:

Ancient recycling:

The first recycling process that was officially recorded referred to a particular type of paper in Japan in the 9th century. These ancient Japanese people learned the method to produce paper and used it in the fields of education and official documents as well as military matters. They learned how to recycle and use paper many times for different things. They have created the basic idea of recycling that we now know today.

The value of recycling in WWI and WWII:

During World War I and II, countries involved in those wars suffered from severe shortages of some basic raw materials such as rubber, steel, and copper, which led to those participating countries collecting the remnants of materials to recycle and use them again. World War II required a lot of raw materials because of the conditions of the war which forced some countries, that weren't rich in resources such as iron and rubber, to collect all kinds of scraps for recycling. This scrap such as metals and tin cans was very valuable because resources were scarce, so people coordinated their efforts to collect all the scrap they could find. Most of the recycling process was applied to metals because they were much needed to build ships, tanks, bombs, and gun parts.

The Importance of Recycling:

The recycling process has immensely large environmental, economic and social benefits and it is the preferable way to dispose of waste and preserve the safety of the environment and humans. Therefore, many countries in the developed world have adopted recycling policies for waste disposal and better use. Japan is one of the leaders in the recycling process, with a culture of recycling among all sections of the Japanese people. Recycling will help people to get rid of waste by not using old methods such as burning or disposal and throwing it into the seas or oceans. Recycling helps reduce the problem of global warming because recycling saves people from the toxic and harmful effects of waste disposal by burning. Recycling of waste has reduced the processes of logging, deforestation, desertification, and environmental pollution as a result of the re-processing of wood from waste and in many wood industries such as furniture. The continuous recycling process for waste helps to provide the required materials in the market without the need for raw materials, which is highly useful because it maintains the environment and reduces the cost of purchasing high-cost raw materials compared to the cost of recycled materials. Perhaps the provision of employment opportunities for young people through the work of recycling factories is one importance of recycling because there will be many companies interested in this field.

The Most Common Types of Recycling:

The countries of the world are taking different ways to run recycling projects to suit societies according to their social and cultural status. Recycling begins by classifying waste into several categories: wood, glass, plastic, paper, organic, and electronic inside the houses and in some countries within the major dumps, and then companies specialized come to recycle one of the previous species and take them to the company specialized in the recycling of this type.

Recycling of plastics:

Plastic recycling is the process of recycling plastic scrap and waste of various kinds into useful products. Plastic materials can be recycled more than once depending on the type of plastic and its melting point. There are many types of plastic material with different colors, chemical structures, strengths, flexibility, and melting points. The melting point is the most important factor that identifies the required temperature that allows the plastic material to be melted and reshaped, so the recycling of plastic especially depends mainly on the melting point of the plastic material. Every plastic product produced is given a special recycling code; its advantage is to identify the type of plastic used to make that product. The plastic recycling codes make the recycling processes easier because there are several kinds of plastics such as Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polypropylene, and High-Density Polyethylene. All of these types have a specific code. The following table shows the common plastics material with their recycling codes:

Recycling of tires or rubber:

The production of tires is one of the largest economic sectors that gas has grown in recent years. The tires are thermoset polymers that can be recycled and reused more than once. The recycling process of the tires is not as easy as is known because there are several factors that need to be considered such as the melting point, flexibility, and other mechanical and chemical properties of tires (rubber). Tires (rubber) are very sensitive to heat or their physical properties in general so it's quite hard to recycle tires using normal recycling methods. Only special factories are able to convert the waste tires into useful products without damaging the environment because some companies try to burn tires in order to dispose of them at a minimum cost to them.

Recycling of papers and cardboards:

Recycling of paper and cardboard is a series of processes that convert used paper and cardboard into new useful products. There is no doubt that paper is one of the most famous and used materials around the world. Paper and cardboard are easily processed materials because of their simple chemical composition, but there are some types of paper that can't be recycled such as tissue paper and cardboard boxes used for pizzas packaging. The benefits of paper and cardboard recycling are reducing the proportion of imports of raw materials needed for the manufacturing of paper and cardboard, reducing unemployment and providing job opportunities for new graduates, and providing clean energy instead of using nuclear energy and other energies that might damage the environment. The recycling of paper and cardboard helps to preserve the environment mainly by the disposal of paper waste using the proper methods of recycling rather than using harmful methods such as burning or burying in landfill sites.

Recycling of electronic wastes:

Recycling of electronic waste is a series of processes that dismantle and transform electronic waste into useful products. Electronic waste components, such as the main components of computers, phones, and other's electronics as well as potentially harmful components such as lead, cadmium, and beryllium. All of these materials can harm the environment. Improper disposal of electronic waste in developing countries such as India, Indonesia, and South Africa can cause emissions of toxic gases such as Phosphine, Cyanide, and Chlorine. During recycling electronic waste caution has to be taken to avoid their hazards that have been mentioned above.

Problems Caused by Improper Disposal of Wastes:

In recent years, the world has been suffering from problems that could lead to the destruction of human beings, ozone layer depletion, destruction of forests, and water bodies, or even the complete extinction of life on the earth, all these problems are caused because of the improper disposal of wastes. There are several problems and dangers caused by improper disposal of waste such as increasing carbon dioxide in the air, which is the main cause of global warming, snowmelt, and floods in many countries, and the spread of cancer and microbial diseases due to the placement of waste dumps near residential areas. The pollution of surface water sources as a result of the dumping of waste into water bodies, as in the Zarqa River in Jordan and the Yellow River in China is another example of improper disposal of wastes.

Burning of wastes:

The burning of waste is a traditional method of recycling; the principle of this method is based mainly on burning waste for disposal. The burning of waste is also defined as the conversion of solid, liquid, combustible waste into carbon dioxide, water vapor, other gases, and low-volume, non-combustible products; these products will subsequently be treated or disposed of using acceptable ways in the environment. There are several gases which pose a danger to creatures on earth such as Hydrogen Sulfide, Chlorine-CL2, Phosphine Gas, Carbon monoxide, and Hydrogen Cyanide – HCN.

CONCLUSION:

In recent years, the process of recycling has become one of the most important processes that have greatly helped to transform waste or scrap into raw materials or use products to serve humanity. Preserving the environment is the responsibility of countries, governments, or even individuals. The proper disposal of waste is one of the most important factors which will protect the environment and prevent the spread of diseases and epidemics such as malaria, cholera, and krona. There is no doubt that the process of recycling is very important because of its many benefits, but recycling without awareness of the way and the instructions to do it can cause a lot of problems. Communities and individuals should be educated about the importance of recycling and its benefits to improve people's lives and preserve the environment. This is why the theme 'why should we recycle essay' is very relevant in our time.

APPENDIX 

1. A: Recycling of plastics: Figure A-1. How are plastic bottles recycled? http://www.howitworksdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Bottle-recycling.jpg
2. B: Recycling of tires or rubber: Figure A-2. Flow chart of waste tire recycling rubber powder machine. https://www.wastetireoil.com/rubber_powder_production_line/waste_tire_recycling_rubber_powder_machine_362.html
3. C: Recycling of papers and cardboards: Figure A-3. A diagram of some recyclable papers and cardboard. https://www.wycombe.gov.uk/pages/Recycling-and-waste/Recycling-and-waste-directory/Paper-and-cardboard-recycling.aspx
4. D: Recycling of electronic wastes: Figure A-4. A diagram of recyclable electronic wastes examples. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/632333603910531355/?autologin=true

REFERENCES:

1. https://scribol.com/environment/waste-and-recycling/recycling-in-the-ancient-world/ 23/3/2020
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3. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/227735 23/3/2020 23/3/2020
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5. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-waste-disposal-problems-and-solutions.php 24/3/2020

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