The UK produces 26 million tonnes of waste per year. About 14 million tonnes end up on landfill sites. These smelly and unsightly rubbish dumps are very bad for the environment. Landfill sites release greenhouse gases and affect local plants, soil and animals. They can also be dangerous to humans - these sites are prone to accidents and fires. How can we reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfill sites? One method is recycling - an imperfect solution that has many environmental and social benefits. We'll learn about the process of recycling, the types that exist with examples, and both the benefits and some negative effects of recycling.
The Definition of Recycling
What exactly is recycling? It is a process that is a more sustainable alternative to the conventional waste management disposal system by helping to save material that would otherwise end up in landfill or air pollution through incineration (burning of waste).
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new reusable objects.
Whether something can be recycled depends on its recyclability. This is essentially the ability of whether the material can reacquire its original properties. With this in mind, recycling can potentially have environmental, social and economic benefits.
England currently recycles 44% of its waste but aims to increase this to 50%.
Things which can currently be recycled in England include:
The Recycling Process
From street collection to becoming a new plastic bottle, your household waste goes through a complex journey.
First, recyclable materials are collected and separated. This stage often starts in people's homes.
Do your local recycling services ask you to keep glass and cardboard separate?
Different waste materials are deposited into separate recycling bins or boxes.
Plastics and aluminium cans are typically collected together.
Once collected, the recyclable materials are converted back into raw materials.
Fig. 1 - Plastics and aluminium cans are typically collected together, unsplash.com
Examples of Recycling
There are many different types of recycling; it all depends on the material being recycled. Here we explore three types of recycling: mechanical, energy and chemical.
Mechanical Recycling
Mechanical recycling transforms waste materials into new products without changing their chemical composition. This type of recycling uses processes such as grinding, washing and compounding. The waste materials can be used again and again in new products.
Mechanical recycling is commonly used to recycle Polyolefin plastics. These highly versatile plastics are used in food packaging, cling film and plastic crates.
Metals are mechanically recycled by melting them down and recasting or reforming them into different products. The metals often require separation, depending on the properties necessary for the final product.
Mechanical metal recycling can cut down the need for new raw materials.
For example, scrap steel is added to iron in a blast furnace to reduce the amount of iron that needs to be extracted from ores.
Recycling metals like iron means these materials can be reused, saving energy and reducing the impact on the environment as fewer mines and quarries are needed to extract the finite reserves of metal ores.
Energy Recycling
This recycling method converts plastics into thermal and electrical energy via incineration (burning). Waste incineration plants use catalysers to prevent pollutants and emissions from being released into the atmosphere, which makes this recycling method environmentally friendly.
This process is viable because it reduces waste and the need for non-renewable energy sources like fossil fuels.
Waste materials high in energy, such as wood and plastics, are commonly burnt for energy recycling.
Chemical Recycling
This is the most complex method of recycling. After reprocessing plastics, their chemical structure is modified, reducing the requirements for raw materials.
Most chemical recycling is still in the experimental stage. However, professors at the University of Birmingham have discovered that mixing PET plastics with alcohol allows them to be recycled.
Facts About Recycling
Impress your friends and family with these fun recycling facts!
It takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminium cans than to make new ones. In fact, 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today!
The UK throws away enough wrapping paper every Christmas to cover 11,000 football pitches.
The UK uses 7.7 billion plastic bottles annually - equivalent to 117 per person.
The average UK household throws away 20% of their weekly food shop.
Fig. 2 - The recognizable three arrows logo indicates if a product can be recycled, unsplash.com
Benefits of Recycling to Society and the Environment
As well as preventing waste from ending up in landfills, recycling provides many benefits to society and the environment.
Here's an overview of the benefits of recycling.
Recycling reduces the demand for raw materials, helping to conserve natural resources.
It helps wildlife and nature by protecting biodiversity, it reduces the need to obtain new ores through mining which destroys habitats.
Less waste is in hazardous landfill sites.
Making products from recycled materials saves energy, thus cutting carbon emissions.
Recycling is usually cheaper than waste disposal.
Fewer fossil fuels are needed to make new materials, like crude oil to make plastics.
The recycling industry provides green jobs.
Some factors and decisions can affect recycling. It can be challenging to encourage people to change their behaviour, especially if the change involves perceived effort. What factors can influence decisions on recycling?
- Personal attitudes
- Local policies and schemes
- Environmental awareness
- Convenience (e.g. location of bins)
- Age
Benefits of Recycling Plastic
Plastic is a hugely versatile material that has revolutionised modern life. However, some plastics can take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfill sites, resulting in large amounts of waste. If plastic waste ends up in a watercourse, it can flow out to sea.
Once in the ocean, the natural elements erode plastic waste into small fragments known as microplastics. These have spread worldwide and can even be found in drinking water.
Plastics and microplastic fragments are incredibly harmful to animals. They might get entangled and suffocated by plastics or experience internal damage from consuming them.
Increasing plastic recycling is vital to prevent plastic from ending up in the ocean and harming animals. Recently, numerous companies have cut down on single-use plastics. Some food shops have zero waste refill aisles, while some fast-food chains have banned plastic straws.
Fig. 3 - Marine plastic pollution near Indonesia, unsplash.com
Negative Effects of Recycling on the Environment
Despite its significant benefits, recycling waste is not a perfect solution to the problems of pollution and landfill.
Like manufacturing products from scratch, recycling also uses energy. If this energy comes from non-renewable resources like fossil fuels, it can contribute to carbon emissions. Energy may also be needed to speed up the difficult process of sorting materials.
Electromagnets are often used to separate metals.
Certain types of recycling release pollutants. Electronic recycling, in particular, is notorious for contaminating local environments. Old electronic devices are frequently shipped overseas to be sorted manually. During this process, metal and chemicals leach into land and water, affecting the local environment and residents.
Informal electronic waste (e-waste for short) recycling is common in Africa. Without formal legislation and protocols, informal e-waste recycling threatens people's health and local ecosystems. Increased levels of e-waste pollutants have been found in nearby environments and the human body. Traces have been found in blood, urine, and breast milk.
'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'
Some environmentalists have argued that 'reducing' and 'reusing' are actually better for the environment than recycling. If we reduce our consumption and reuse what we already have, less energy and resources will be used to manufacture and recycle these products.
Recycling - Key takeaways
- Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new objects. It has environmental, economic and social benefits.
- There are three types of recycling: mechanical, energy and chemical.
- Recycling reduces the demand for raw materials and energy, helping to conserve resources and protect the environment. It saves money and provides jobs.
- Plastic takes a long time to decompose, often ending up in the ocean or as microplastics. These can harm animals.
- Recycling is not a perfect solution to waste - it uses energy and can emit pollutants. Reducing and reusing our consumption may be better for the environment.
References
- Amelia Josephson, The Pros and Cons of Recycling, 2018.
- Brad Smith, What are the 3 types of Recycling?, 2020.
- Friends of the Earth, 7 benefits of recycling, 2018.
- Laura Parker, The world's plastic pollution crisis explained, National Geographic, 2019.
- Orish Ebere Orisakwe, Public Health Burden of E-waste in Africa, Journal of Health and Pollution, 2019.
- Plastics Europe, Polyolefins, 2022.
- Recyclingbins.co.uk, Recycling Facts, 2022.
- Rick LeBlanc, How long does it take garbage to decompose, The Balance, 2017.
- Sustainability for All, Landfills: A Serious Problem for the Environment, 2022.
- Unisan, What Can and Can’t Be Recycled? Recycling Guide, 2020.
- University of Birmingham, A scalable process for the chemical recycling of PET using ionic organocatalysts, 2021.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Waste-to-energy (Municipal Solid Waste), 2021.
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