8 reasons why you really should recycle

Here at GROSCHE, we recycle, and it is very important to us. We believe that everyone should be sorting their garbage and recycling their waste into the appropriate bins for pick up. It is so important to look after our planet, and sorting your trash is the first, easiest way to make a difference. Join us in making the world a greener place! Here are 8 reasons why you should recycle.

What is recycling?

When a product is recycled, it is turned back into a raw form that can be used to create a new and different product. This way, we use fewer natural resources to produce new things and reduce additional waste that will harm the planet.

The Three R’s of Sustainability – What is the meaning of Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle?

Recycling is part of the greater process of sustainable living with the credo of reduce, reuse & recycle.

• Reduce the amount of trash you create
• Reuse materials or buy products made from reused materials
• Recycle as much as you can

Reduce the amount of trash you create

The best way to help the environment is to cut down on the amount of non-recyclable materials you throw out.

• Bring your own reusable tote or cloth bag to the grocery store and shopping trips
• Buy things in bulk to try to reduce the amount of packaging
• Have paper statements e-mailed to you instead of mailed
• Buy products that are packaged in cardboard instead of plastic
• Try to avoid disposable single-serving items such as paper plates, cups, and utensils.
• Use a re-usable water bottle (and if you don't have one, consider the trendy Venice Glass Bottle!) instead of plastic bottles
• Pack lunch in re-usable containers rather than buying take-out

Compost your kitchen scraps

Set aside your fruit peals and pits along with other organic food waste into a compost pile. Even coffee grounds and loose-leaf tea are compostable, in fact coffee makes for a great fertilizer. Over time your kitchen scraps will decompose and turn into mulch that you can use for gardening, which in turn can save you some money on mulch!

Grow your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs

Put that mulch to good use in a vegetable, fruit, or herb garden. A garden will reward you with fresh (and waste free & sustainable) produce and herbs at a fraction of the price. Many people consider gardening to be quite therapeutic, and a very popular hobby. If desired, you can even grow enough produce to store year-round!

Buy products made from recycled materials

More and more products are made from recycled materials. You can find things like paper towels, cardboard boxes, plastic containers, crayons, ink cartridges, paint, furniture, wallpaper, and even garbage cans that are made from these materials. Fellow B Corp Patagonia even introduced winter coats using recycled materials such as down. We also have environmentally friendly french presses made from recycled materials!

Properly dispose of your waste

What you can recycle depends on the area you live in, as not all materials may be accepted. You can get information about your city's recycling program from your local municipality or check online. If in doubt, always reference your guidelines rather than guess.

Paper

You can recycle most paper products such as white paper, newspapers, magazines and cardboard. Although some restrictions may apply, it’s safe to assume you can throw your most of your paper in your blue bin. Try to only dispose of paper that is fully used - save blank pages/spots for writing notes and grocery lists.

Steel, Glass, Aluminium Cans, and Foil

These items are usually easy to sort and are all recyclable. Some glass needs to be separated, such as glass bottles, from things like light bulbs and broken glass. Clear glass is the easiest to recycle while coloured glass won't always be accepted. If you are dealing with coloured glass, be sure to sort it by colour as coloured glass is made differently and can effect the quality of the new glass being manufactured.

Plastic

You can recycle most plastics, including plastic containers and bottles, but not plastic bags.

Electronics

There are specific e-waste recyclers that will accept your electronics and dispose of them properly and not charge you. Many technology companies also offer to responsibly dispose electronics for you.

Reasons why you should recycle

#1 Reduce waste and the burden on landfills

The most obvious reason for recycling is that it produces less trash. When there is less trash, the landfills can be managed better and the opening of new landfills can be avoided. Keeping landfills small and away from cities means avoiding pollution, poisoning and many health problems. It also means that less trash ends up in the ocean, which is currently causing a multitude of issues like souring our oceans and essentially threatens the whole eco-system.

#2 Save energy

When you recycle aluminum cans, you can save 95% of the energy required to produce those cans from raw materials. In general, it takes a lot more energy to create products from new materials than it does to manufacture products out of recycled materials. Goods made from these materials use less water, creates less pollution and uses less energy.

#3 Conserve natural resources, protect trees and wildlife

When you recycle, you help to conserve resources and prevent loss of biodiversity, ecosystems and rainforests. Using recycled paper means fewer trees are cut down and habitats for animals are preserved rather than destroyed. Recycling metals means less mining activities. Overall, it conserves natural resources such as water, minerals, coal, oil, gas and timber.

#4 Reduce carbon emissions

Recycling helps to reduce carbon emissions, otherwise known as greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gases are primarily responsible for the increase in global warming. For example, recycling paper helps to minimize the number of trees that are cut down. This doesn’t just save energy; it helps to combat carbon gas emissions because each tree can remove CO2 from the air.

#5 Improve groundwater quality

The garbage in landfills can affect the local groundwater. Much of the trash that is thrown in the landfill is not biodegradable or environmentally-friendly, and the contaminants that are found in this material can get into our water supply. This can happen when rain or other runoff water from landfills makes its way into ponds, rivers, lakes or streams. By recycling, you help to avoid garbage in landfills and the possible contamination of ground water.

#6 – Reduce air pollution

When companies use recycled products such as paper, plastics and metals instead of using raw materials, they reduce the amount of toxins that are released in the air. Reduction in the harmful gasses will not only help in cleaning the environment but will also clean the air we breathe.

#7 Boost the economy

Companies rely on recycling to provide them with raw materials for them to use for manufacturing. Recycling itself is a huge industry. While you do the basic sorting, there are many people involved to have it picked up, sorted and shipped off to the right places. This is done by thousands of workers.

#8 Make some money

Most governments have policies in place which give financial benefits to those who recycle. In Ontario, the government pays a small amount for each recycled glass bottle or aluminum can.

In the end, it's important that we reduce the amount of waste in the world to keep our planet, and ourselves, healthy and happy. Let us know your tips and tricks for recycling and reducing waste!

Up next: 5 reasons why you should own a reusable water bottle