Recycling help ..?

Question

I have to write a report about my findings which means i have to ask more then four people these questions and see what they will say.. Could anyone help me out. ?? Thanks.

Could someone Pick three products and discuss the advantages of recycling them. Newspapers

Aluminum

Plastic

Glass

Yardwaste

List 5 changes you can make in your life to cut down on the amount of MSW you create.

Answer 1

1.  Glass - Since glass is melted and made into jars or bottles again, the actual amount of glass is still maintained.  This is different than recycling newspaper which loses the shorter, broken fibers and makes less paper than the amount that was recycled.

2.  Yard waste - Composting yard waste not only keeps the waste out of the landfill, but it gives the homeowner free compost to use for soil improvement or for mulch.  It's also convenient to throw yard waste into a compost bin instead of bagging it up and putting it out for pick-up.

3.  Aluminum - Since recycling aluminum is a profitable endeavor, we can donate the aluminum to our local not-for-profit recycling center to help them with their operating costs, we can donate aluminum to Boy Scouts, church groups, school groups, etc.  So we not only get the environmental benefit of recycling (less energy use, less ore used, less water use, lower environmental impact), but we can help community groups financially.

Edit - I forgot to include the 5 changes.

1.  Buy goods with less packaging, or no packaging at all.

2.  Repair or donate appliances, clothing, and other goods instead of buying new.

3.  Buy goods made with recycled materials to increase the market for recycled materials.

4.  Discuss the issues with family and friends to raise awareness about the problem of solid waste.

5.  Read magazines and newspapers at the public library instead of having my own subscriptions.

Answer 2

newspaper goes into compost bin or for recycle by local council. plastic bottles I sometimes used these  for covers on tender plants.Yard waste, if leaves then they go into compost bin, cuttings from garden also get recycled.Plastic containers I use for potting growing seeds,otherwise they go to recycle.

Answer 3

Recycling newspapers helps preserve tree populations. Also the process of making paper from tree fiber involves harmful chemicals so reusing already made paper is beneficial to the environment.

Recycling Aluminum is very cost efficient since aluminum is a valuable metal source. It is light but very strong. Aluminum can be reused again and again.

Plastic recycling depends on the type, but those with a "1" symbol can be recycled over and over. Plastic is so useful because it can be molded into an extrem variety of useful objects. Reusing used plastic items saves on cost, obviously, but also our petrolium usage since that is what plastic is made from.

Recycling Glass can be done over and over again and like plastic, can be re used in many different ways. It's really easy to recycle glass since It simply needs to be remelted and reshaped.

Yardwaste can be used to grow plants when made into a very nutrient rich fertalizer since it is made from mostly other plant organisms.

1. The biggest way to reduce MSW is simply recylcing. Way too many recylcleable materials end up at the dump. It's not too hard to recyle.

2. Foodwaste from restueraunts and homes often end up rotting at the dump rather then being recycled into rich fertalizer. Don't waste food.

3. Many materials like old clothes can be resed by others. Giving used items away or too the salvation army helps reduce waste.

4. Purchasing items with reduced packaging materials from a store reduces the amount of waste you have to throw away.

5.Being careful about making things with building materials in anything from a home construction project to arts and crafts reduces what you end up throwing away. Haste makes waste.

Answer 4

Yard waste, when shredded and composted makes great fertilizer and it saves space in the land fill.

Aluminum, and all metals really, are easily recycled, and are probably the most recycled things there are for that reason. Scrap metal has always been a big business. You wouldn't thrown away scrap gold would you?

Sorry, I don't have a 3rd idea. Sorry, I don't have 5 changes for you.

Answer 5

Aluminium- doesn't degrade naturally as far as I know but is supposed to be the most efficient material to recycle. Light and easy to carry to recycling and can be put out  in TVBC recycle bins. Also can be used to help charities, when collection centres pay 1p per can.

Plastic - bottles are bulky items in landfill (and bins)even when flattened. Carrier bags are wasteful, esp if not reused.Good to reduce landfill and use recycled plastic whenever possible to save using new resources. Plastic items are a real hazard to wildlife (plastic fishing lines, bottles, bags etc) so all recycled reduces dangers. Also most plastics do not degrade (some new plastic wrappers/bags do, which is great) so cause real problems for disposal. Don't know about incineration of plastics - may produce toxic fumes. There are so many different types of plastic that it is dificult to sort them for recycling and facilities to recycle tham are not available in every area.

Newspapers - easy to dispose of in recycle bins or collection centres. Not messy to store whilst awaiting recycling. Can be reused as newsprint/other paper products, but bulky to collect and heavy so costs of transporting to paper recycling facilities may outweigh energy saved. Much paper now made from specifically planted trees which are renewable, not virgin forests, so this may to some extent outweigh the benefits of recycling.Quality of recycled paper is lower - not sure of quantity of recycled material in newsprint. Can be recycled as 'logs' for fires and some can be used in composting, though not great amounts. Also used to recycle newspaper as bedding in guineapig hutches and then put into compost bin.

Hope this helps.

5 ideas to cut waste:

1. Re-use bags and never accept new plastic carriers.

2. Avoid all prewrapped veg. - buy loose.

3. Plan meals better to avoid food waste.

4. Reuse envelopes/wrappings whenever possible.

5. Use shredder more frequently to make mulch for garden rather than taking shrub prunings to recycling centre.

Answer 6

1. When we recycle we start to save our planet.  Are you aware of all of the closed landfills?  The land is useless for a very long time.  All of your five items used to be placed in landfills.

2. When we recycle products by using the material again, we save all of the raw materials that they were made from.  We cut down less trees, we use less petroleum to make more plastic.  Glass and aluminum can be re- made again.

3. Most yard waste is recycle-able in your own yard.  Grass clippings and leaves make good free mulch for your garden.

In my life:

When we were kids, my brothers saved papers, aluminum, copper and glass  to make money.   I grew up thinking like this.

I recycle all my paper, magazine, plastic, cans and glass.

I use washable rags instead of paper towels.

I give away anything that is usable.

I split my annual plants and share them.

I built a garden pond with free rocks given to me by a man in Thurmont.

I have solar lights in my yard.

I put  timers or motion detectors on my  outdoor appliances.

I switched most of my light bulbs to the energy efficient fluorescent ones.

I bought a whole yard full of toys for my granddaughters at yard sales. I shop at consignment shops. I think it is fun!

I drive a "green" hybrid car.