- Forests, and the wildlife that live within them, are destroyed as a result of our excessive use of paper. Put simply, the less paper we recycle, the less trees we need to cut down. As well as the effect on wildlife and plant-life, excessive deforestation also creates visual scars on our beautiful planet. Once a forest has been cut down, there is little to no chance of that land ever being home to an ecosystem again.

- A lot of everyday items (newspapers, cardboard boxes, envelopes, egg cartons, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.) can be made from recycled paper. These items do the same job whether they are made from ‘new’ paper or recycled paper, so it makes so no sense to not make them from recycled paper. The problem is we are not recycling enough paper to be able to make these items from only recycled paper.

- Money can be saved in two ways by recycling paper. Firstly, from a manufacturing point of view, it costs much less to turn waste paper into new paper products than it does to turn trees into new paper products. Secondly, as consumers, by buying recycled products we can save money as they nearly always cost less than ones made from virgin pulp. In these harsh economic times, avoiding unnecessary leakage in any part of the economy makes sense.

- Pollution is reduced by recycling paper. Paper manufacturing plants are responsible for pumping huge amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere, and that needs to be reduced where possible. As it is easier to create paper products from waste paper than raw materials, less pollution is created when we focus on the former. The paper that we unnecessarily throw away also ends up polluting the environment. Most of it ends up it landfill sites or being incinerated.

- Producing recycled paper uses much less total energy than producing virgin paper. Depending on the grade of paper, producing recycled paper may use less purchased energy in the form of fossil fuels and electricity. Pretty much all of the energy that we use damages the environment in one way or another, and so we should save what we can where we can.

Many supermarkets and shops that sell batteries now have collection boxes for used batteries. Also, some town halls, libraries or schools have also set up collection points for recycling batteries. So, it is no excuse to say that recycling batteries is too inconvenient. If you spend five minutes looking online for places to recycle batteries in your local area then you will certainly find a few.

What follows is a list of the most common types of batteries and a brief look at if / how they can be recycled…

Button batteries : These small circular batteries are found in watches and hearing aids. If they are recycled then the mercury-oxide or silver-oxide within them can be reclaimed and used in the production of new batteries. They do not always advertise the fact (though they should do), but jewelers and pharmacies are happy to take these expired batteries from you.

Car batteries : These are probably the worst types of batteries for the environment, but they are also very recyclable. The plastic components can be melted down and used to make new plastic products and the lead can be used to make new batteries. You can take your used car batteries to most car battery sellers, who are obliged by law in most countries to recycle them.

Household batteries : It is a shame that these batteries, which are the most common type (used in children’s toys, clocks, torches, etc.), cannot really be used for anything else once they have run out, however, that does not mean that you should not take them to a battery recycling point. They need to be properly disposed of to avoid causing damage to the environment, and the only way that can happen is if the chemicals are drained from them before they are disposed of.

Read On : Recycling Batteries

- Metal and tine were recycled for use in aircraft, tanks and weapons.

- Left over food provided feed for pigs, chickens and goats.

- Rubber was collected to make tires.

- Boiled bones were used to make glue for aircraft, ground up to make fertilizer or made into glycerin for explosives.

Households were also encouraged to repair belongings, such as clothes, as opposed to just buying new ones. Campaigns like ‘Make Do & Mend’ advised people on how to recycle textiles and patch up their worn out clothes. Knitting also soared in popularity during the Second World War.

Families had to plan meals carefully to ensure that food did not go to waste. With no fridges or freezers, perishable food had to be bought in small quantities and meals were made with some interesting substitutes. Meat fat was commonly saved to make pastry, and the cream from milk was collected in a jar and shaken to make butter.

It is sad that it took people so long to acknowledge the importance of recycling, and also that it took such unfortunate circumstances to draw it to our attention. Nowadays, we realize the importance of recycling to preserve the Earth’s resources and to reduce pollution.

Even so, we are still failing to recycle a lot of items that are recyclable.The reasons for recycling may be different now from what they were during the War, but we can still take inspiration from our grandparents.

—

Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective recycling bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years.

Below are some of the environmental and money saving benefits of recycling paper…

Saves Trees – The most obvious reason to recycle paper is for saving trees which provide vital oxygen for the planet. Just 1 ton of recycled paper saves at least 16 of them.

Wildlife Preservation – More often than not, the wildlife that lives in the trees that are cut down to make ‘new’ paper, die quickly because they cannot adapt to living anywhere else. Recycling paper means that they can die natural deaths instead of forced ones.

Cheaper Paper – Recycled paper is often cheap to purchase. Buying cheaper, recycled goods encourages more recycled goods to be manufactured, sustaining the recycling industry.

Less Water Consumption – To make ‘new’ paper requires vast amounts of water, whereas the process of recycling paper uses up much less of this important resource.

Saves Electricity – Over 400 kilowatt hours of energy are saved by recycling paper instead of making a fresh 1 ton batch, and that could be used in heating and lighting homes instead.

Reduces Oil Dependence – Oil production has some horrific effects on the environment and any chance to reduce oil consumption should be taken. Saving 2 barrels per ton of recycled paper really makes a difference in the long term.

Less Pollution – Paper can burn in municipal waste incinerators that can spew out all kinds of air pollutants. When many incinerators are in urban locations, everyone would benefit from breathing better air if there were fewer of them.

Creates Jobs – Think about all the people who work within the paper recycling industry. Collectors, sorters and machine operators being just a few of them. The more that we recycle, the more of these jobs there will be created.

Paper Logs – Many people are now turning to paper logs as a supplementary fuel source. Consisting of tightly compressed briquettes of paper, these logs can be thrown on a fire or used in a wood burner to provide heat for free.

—

This article is provided by http://www.paperlogmaker.org.uk/, a website dedicated to paper log makers and paper recycling.

Each and every year thousands upon thousands of tons of trash is poured into landfills. While we are in no danger of running short on landfill space, this is expensive in terms of space, time, and energy invested, along with the sheer waste of materials that will not ever be used again.

With that in mind, consider these reasons to keep your aluminum and steel cans out of the landfill by recycling them instead.

– Aluminum which has been recycled is back in use again within 2 months. In contrast, it would take over 200 years for that metal to break down naturally if were just thrown away.

- Metal cans can be recycled for cash at many places. Various states offer five cents for each can given to them, and some recycling centers pay anywhere between a dollar and two dollars per pound of cans recycled.

- There are can crushing machines available that can be used to make the job easier, and you can even make a home-made one for free. Therefore, it is no excuse to say that recycling cans takes up too much space.

– Recycled steel and aluminum are have exactly the same composition as ‘new’ aluminum and steel. Recycled metals are just melted down and then forged into new products, which can then be recycled again when they are finished being used.

– The United States currently uses steel that is more than 65% recycled. This is a good start, but it could definitely be higher. Significant further progress would be made if more people were aware that they can recycle their steel cans.

– The 100,000,000 ‘new’ steel cans produced every day consist of 25% recycled materials. That equates to 25 million reclaimed cans vs. 75 million completely new cans. If people recycled more frequently, that number would soon jump to 50-50 and a great deal of energy and resources would be saved.

—

http://www.cancrusher.org.uk is a site offering information about recycling aluminum and steel cans.

There are numerous issues that need to be considered when setting up a new recycling scheme in your company. For example, what waste streams will be recycled, how much waste will be produced, how many, and what type, of containers will be required, and do these need to adhere to a particular color scheme? With all these different, and sometimes confusing, aspects to think about, we may forget to consider the actual environmental impact of the recycling bins themselves.

A large proportion of recycling and waste bins are manufactured from plastic, and a approximately 8% of global oil production is currently used in the manufacturing of plastics. Extracting this finite resource requires vast quantities of energy, and the process of plastic production uses harmful chemicals, whilst emitting pollutants and greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. Therefore, despite being created for an environmentally beneficial use, the manufacturing of recycling bins has detrimental effects.

Fortunately, there are things that you can do to minimize the negative effects that result from recycling bins…

- Purchase second-hand containers. The best way you can minimize environmental impacts in waste management is through re-use. If you can find good quality second-hand recycling containers then this prevents the bins from simply being discarded. You would be surprised at how many large corporations find themselves with an excess of containers as a result of an altered pilot recycling project.

– Purchase quality products. Look for containers that are durable and well constructed. Those used commercially will need to withstand far greater wear and tear than those used in the home. Opt for well made products which are less likely to need replacing and will last for years to come.

- Look for products with recycled plastic content. Many containers are now manufactured with a percentage of post-consumer recycled plastic. This will reduce the need for extraction of virgin materials and will also reduce energy consumption and emissions. As an example, producing recycled plastic bags uses around 60% less energy, and 90% less water, compared to virgin production.

—

Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years. For more info, visit http://www.ware4.co.uk