Recycling

Why Recycle? Recycling is a hands-down winner in terms of energy, resource use and pollution. It saves energy and resources and decreases pollution.

What gets recycled? The primary items from MSW that are currently being actively recycled are cans (both aluminum and steel), bottles, plastic containers, newspapers, and yard waste. Yet there are many alternatives for reprocessing various components of refuse, and people are coming up with new ideas and techniques all the time.

• Paper and paperboard can be remade into pulp and reprocessed into recycled paper, cardboard, and
  other paper products; finally ground and sold as cellulose insulation; or shredded and composted.
• Most glass that is recycled is crushed, remelted, and made into new containers; a smaller amount is used in fiberglass or “glassphalt” for highway construction.
• Some forms of plastic can be remelted and fabricated into carpet fiber, outdoor wearing apparel, irrigation drainage tiles, building materials, and sheet plastic.
• Metals can be remelted and refabricated. Making aluminum from scrap aluminum saves upto 90% of the energy required to make aluminum from virgin ore.
• Yard waste (leaves, grass, and plant trimmings) can be composted to produce a humus soil conditioner.
• Textiles can be shredded and used to strengthen recycled paper products.
• Old tires can be remelted or shredded and incorporated into highway asphalt.

Recycling is both an environmental and an economic issue. Many people are motivated to recycle because of environmental concern, but the use of recyclable and recycled materials is also driven by economic factors. The Global Recycling Network (www.grn.com) is an Internet information exchange that promotes the trade of recyclables from MSW and the marketing of “eco friendly” products made from recyclable materials.

Links

Iowa Recycling Association – Iowarecycles.org

Nebraska Recycling Council – Nrcne.org