A bried intro to why you should recycle and why it’s not that big of a deal…

‘With the environment increasingly becoming an area of concern and our natural resources running out, recycling our waste is becoming more and more important. Recycling only has benefits. Not only does recycling save our natural resources like trees and oil but it also saves on energy, electricity, water and reduces carbon emissions from creating these products. It also minimises the amount of rubbish being dumped into our Earth.’

At this stage in life, recycling as become a natural process for disposing of waste. It is has not already, it needs to be. Recycling not only reduces the costs in the household but benefits in many other ways. Without realising, 75% of waste can be recycled or re-used from the average household, items such as plastics and papers to electronics, metals, clothes and so much more.

‘The key to a successful recycling running house is information.’

The average household (2 Adults, 2 Children) dispose of roughly 30 kilos every fortnight. With so much information and facilities, all easily accessed there should not be an issue but unfortunately for some this is not the case. Many people resort to illegal dumping, which is hazardous to the environment and a very unpleasant eye sore.

Although, there comes serious fines with illegal dumping it is not regulated enough and much of the countryside and farm land falls victim. Every county council must provide a recycling amenity centre where you can fill your car or trailer for around €3, some places are free. There is plenty of bottle banks in every town or village to recycle glass. We have the facilities so why is it still an issue?

Here are some reasons why people find it difficult to recycle…

 “Recycling is inconvenient.”
This seems to be the number one reason why people don’t recycle – they don’t want to put in the extra effort. Some places have no pick-up. Some people say that they just can’t be bothered.

 “I do not have enough space in my home to recycle.”
The lack of space is an issue for many. People don’t want to see garbage and with little storage space for recycling bins, the rubbish is an eyesore or it smells.

 “If they paid me, I’d recycle.”
Some countries fine people for not recycling. Some regions pay for just bottle recycling .Some areas have no penalties or incentives for recycling. I.e. Ireland

“Why should I? They all go to the same place anyways”
Misinformation about overflowing landfills, depleted resources and climate change has convinced some people that recycling doesn’t make a difference. They believe there is no problem.

To counteract the above points here are just a few reasons why people should recycle….

“Recycling saves energy.”

Recycling saves energy because the manufacturer doesn’t have to produce something new from raw natural resources. By using recycled materials we save on energy consumption, which keeps production costs down.

“Recycling reduces landfills.”
Recycling reduces the need for more landfills. No one wants to live next to a landfill. There are only 3 remaining landfills in Ireland and it is believed that they will all be full in the next 25 years.

“Recycling preserves our resources and protects wildlife.”
By recycling, we reduce the need to destroy habitats for animals. Paper recycling alone saves millions of trees.

“Recycling is good for the economy.”
Recycling and purchasing recycled products creates a greater demand for more recycled goods. Goods made from recycled materials use less water, create less pollution and uses less energy.

“Recycling helps our climate problems.”
Recycling produces considerably less carbon, which reduces the amount of unhealthy greenhouse gas omissions.

And so with that,get involved it’s not a big deal doing the recycling but believe it or not it is a big deal if you don’t!