What is Recycling? | Types, Definition, Structure, Function & Facts
What is Recycling?
Recycling is a way to recover waste and turn it into new products. There are a number of different recycling processes that allow the material to be used over and over again.
What can be Recycled?
All materials can be recycled. Some of the most common processes in use today involve the recycling of plastics, glass, metals, paper, electronics, and textiles. Typical second-hand items made from these materials include soft drink cans, plastic milk cartons, newspapers, old computers, and cardboard boxes.
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How does Recycling work?
Real recycling is a complex and different process for each type of material.
Aluminum Cans – Aluminum cans are among the first items to be heavily recycled. The process is not as complicated as for some other materials. The cans are first crushed and then melted. From there, aluminum can be used to make new cans and other aluminum items.
Plastic bottles – There are many types of plastic and each is made from a different combination of chemicals. Accordingly, the first plastic bottles were classified according to their different chemical classes. They are then cleaned to remove leftovers or other waste. The bottles are then crushed or chopped into fine plastic pieces. The scraps can then be melted down to create a new plastic or into fibers used to make carpets or clothing.
Paper – Paper begins the recycling process by mixing with water and other chemicals to decompose. It is then chopped and heated. This process ends with turning the paper into a paste or paste. The pulp is filtered to remove glue or resin. It is then cleaned and bleached to remove any remaining ink or dye. Now the pulp is ready to make new paper.
Computers and batteries – Computers and batteries are often recycled to remove harmful chemicals as well as recover or utilize some valuable materials such as gold from circuit boards.
The Recycling Loop
The recycling, or loop, symbol has three arrows. Each arrow represents a different step in the recycling process. These steps are:
Collect recyclable materials, such as aluminum cans and plastic bottles.
Transform old materials and craft new items.
Buy things made from recycled materials
Benefits of Recycling
Recycling has many advantages. Including:
Landfill – Recycled materials mean less waste and save space in landfills and landfills.
Resources – When we reuse materials, it means we can get less resources from Earth.
Pollution – In general, recycled materials can create less pollution, helping to keep our environment clean.
What can you do?
Be sure to recycle everything you can in your home and school. There is almost always a “recycling” bin around. Remember to leave your used aluminum cans and plastic bottles there. At home, be sure to put paper items such as newspapers, cereal boxes, and homework pages in the trash.
Fun Facts About Recycling
Plastics are usually marked with an identification code with a recycling symbol and a number between 1 and 7. This code indicates the type of chemical or polymer used in the plastic manufacturing process.
Used paper can be recycled about seven times. The fibers then become too short and are filtered out by the recycling process.
Some waste is converted into electrical energy by burning it in modern incinerators.
Glass is one of the best materials for recycling. Clear glass can be recycled many times.