Benefits of Recycling

Recycling has a positive environmental and economic impact locally and globally. By implementing a recycling program, recyclables are collected and separated from trash. This allows for recyclables to be recovered, preventing them from ending up in landfill.

Environmental Benefits

• Conservation of raw resources - Creating products from recycled material helps reduce the consumption of natural resources.
• Pollution reduction - In most cases, mining and harvesting of raw material produces more pollution from manufacturing than recovering and recycling used material.
• Less damage to biological habitats and water quality - In most cases, mining and harvesting of raw material interrupts and harms biological habitats and water quality.
• Reduction of by-products that form in landfills - Less use of landfills will reduce the formation of by-products, such as methane or leachate. These can contaminate groundwater and harm human and animal habitats.

Economic Benefits

• Decrease in waste disposal costs – With large amounts of materials ending up in landfills, available landfill space is driving up landfill disposal costs.
• Cost effective - It is more cost effective to process recycled material than it is to harvest raw resources.