Recycling

We explain what recycling is, what types exist and what its benefits are. In addition, we tell you what the three Rs rule is.

What is recycling?

Recycling is the process of reincorporating certain used and discarded materials into the production chain. In other words, It is the process of giving new use to certain types of waste, which become raw material for new productions. This saves on basic materials, saves on energy and reduces the environmental impact of both products (the new and the recycled one).

Materials that can be recycled are known as recyclables and are usually glass, paper, cardboard, most ferrous and non-ferrous metals, certain types of plastic, fabrics and textiles, wood and certain electronic components. There are other types of materials that could also be recyclable, but they usually are not because the high costs of the process and the great technical difficulty involved make it unprofitable.

recycling It is a way to mitigate or alleviate the accumulation of waste materials typical of industrial life. and the consumer society. It is one of the main ways to combat pollution due to the accumulation of physical waste, which consists of the dispersion of solid elements in the natural environment, where their degradation process becomes slow or sometimes impossible, and where their presence also alters in an unpredictable way. the chemical and physical dynamics of the environment.

An example of this type of pollution occurs with glass waste, such as bottles, which can act as a magnifying glass and concentrate the sun's rays on dry summer vegetation, and then trigger fires that in turn contaminate the atmosphere and They end local life. Thus, if said glass is properly disposed of, it can be reinserted into the production circuit, to be melted and re-molded into a new useful container.

Recyclable materials and recycling containers are typically identified with the international symbol of recycling: a triangle made up of three thick arrows pointing at each other inspired by the famous Moebius Strip, and which refers to the perpetuation of the useful life of materials.

See also: Recycle

Importance of recycling

recycling It is essential to counteract the impact of products on the environment and reduce the amount of waste we produce. It is extremely important to recycle because it not only prevents certain materials from ending up damaging the environment, but it also Feeds back the production circuit with low-cost raw materials which contributes to the economy and creates and sustains necessary jobs. Around 37% of the paper manufactured worldwide comes from recycling.

Benefits of recycling

Among the main benefits of recycling are:

• Reduces the presence of solid waste in nature and therefore reduces the effect that these materials may have on the ecosystem.
• Reduces consumption of raw materials and therefore also the consequences of its extraction from nature.
• Gives new life to certain materials lowering the cost of production of certain new products.
• Allows you to save considerable amounts of energy since it is cheaper to recycle certain materials than to produce them again.
• Demand for garbage landfills decreases since they fill at a much slower rate.
• Provides employment to workers of the recycling industry.

Types of recycling

Recycling is commonly classified based on the type of procedures required for the reuse of recycled materials. In this way, we can distinguish between:

• Mechanical recycling. It is one that uses machines and workers to physically process recycled materials. This often involves the selection, cleaning and grinding of materials, for later chemical or physical reuse. This type of recycling is typical of certain types of plastics that are not very degraded.
• Chemical recycling. It is one that uses powerful chemical substances or intense physical procedures to dissolve or reduce waste materials to their most basic components, for later use. These methods may include: thermal cracking (between 500 to 800 °C), hydrogenation or hydrocracking. Many types of plastic and materials of organic origin can be reduced to usable material in this way.
• Biological recycling. It is one that subjects the materials to be recycled to the action of biological agents such as bacteria or fungi, which decompose them naturally and in the presence or absence of oxygen. This type of recycling is reserved for waste of organic origin, such as food scraps or natural waste.
• Energy recycling. It is one that uses high intensity heat to reduce or eliminate recycled material, taking advantage of the energy thus obtained to heat air or water. It basically consists of the incineration of certain materials that cannot be used in any other way.

3R rule

A general principle of sustainable economics is known as the “three Rs rule” or “3R rule,” which proposes three basic rules as general criteria when dealing with waste materials:

• Reduce. It implies consuming what is necessary, avoiding waste and waste so that it is not necessary to produce more than necessary. This means not only a reduction in the amount of garbage produced, but also a reduction in energy and raw material consumption. For example, by turning off unused lights and turning off the water tap while washing hands, we reduce the amount of resources we use unnecessarily.
• Reuse. It involves using the products as much as possible and trying to give them a second life, in the same field or in another. This means extending the useful life of things as much as possible, instead of consuming things for a single and quick use, which in a few moments go from being a useful product to being garbage. For example, by using certain containers to plant our plants, or plastic bags for garbage, we are extending the useful life of these materials that, otherwise, would go directly into the trash.
• Recycle. It implies, first of all, separating biodegradable and liquid garbage from recyclable materials, which must follow a different path: be processed and reinserted as raw material into the production circuit. This must be the destination of all recyclable materials that are not reused by the consumer themselves. For example, cans (metal) and bottles (glass) can be recycled into new products, instead of going to landfill.

References

• “Recycling” on Wikipedia.
• “Rule of the three Rs” on Wikipedia.
• “What is recycling and why is it important to recycle” at BBVA.
• “Recycling Basics” in United States Environmental Protection Agency (USA).
• “Recycling” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.