Recycling means that the material in discarded products, clothes, glass or other waste is used as raw materials when producing new types of products. Recycling is both good for the environment and in many cases, it’s also cost-effective. Most products or goods that are sold today can be recycled to some extent, which means that the discarded products don’t end up in a landfill where they can harm the environment.
Many types of waste also contain dangerous substances or toxins that can affect lakes, wildlife and even human health. Therefore, it’s important to sort waste so that the products that have recyclable materials or parts end up for recycling.
When it comes to recycling, there are different types of recyclable materials which you can read about in the post below.
Metal Recycling
The world’s need for metals and minerals is great and it’s growing. Recycling and reusing are some of the most energy-efficient measures to limit the impact of the mining and mineral industry on the environment.
Several metals, such as copper, steel and aluminum, are easy to recycle. Recycling often means remelting the metal and producing it into new products. The process is easier the more metal there is and if metals do not need to be separated from each other.
Aerosol cans are a suitable recyclable material as they’re made of either aluminum or steel. However, many aerosol cans could be hazardous and practicing a safe way to dispose of these cans is a must. Even though you might be sure that the can is empty, you should look at a good aerosol can puncture device so that you don’t wind up in a dangerous situation if pressure is still in the can.
An aluminum can is easier to recycle than a circuit board of the same size as the aluminum can be remelted into new cans. The circuit board, on the other hand, contains many components and metals that must be separated. This can be done by crushing the circuit board into a powder and using various methods, such as magnetism, density and chemicals, to separate the metals and then remelt them.
Some metals, such as indium and beryllium, are difficult or impossible to recycle with today’s technology. This can be due to several things, including that the separation is not efficient, that the remelting means that desirable properties are not retained, or that too small volumes exist to make recycling profitable.
Plastic Recycling
Today, plastic products are very present in our everyday life. It’s a widely used material in many industries, including the automotive industry, electronics and building construction. It is also used for food and beverage packaging, which can be counted as one of the largest sectors. Therefore, it is also the one from which the largest amount of plastic waste is consequently recycled.
In plastic recycling, a sorting facility is used that automatically sorts hard and soft plastic packaging. Hard plastic packaging is separated from the soft using gusts of air to blow the soft plastic away.
This technology helps the recycling rate and sorting where you have to sort plastics by type of plastic, as they contain different compositions of chemicals. Sometimes you also need to sort the plastics by color. The plastics are separated into soft and hard plastics and the type of plastic. Then, the plastic is crushed and melted into pellets which then replace virgin plastic.
Electronic Recycling
Electronic devices contain materials that can be both toxic and dangerous. Therefore, it’s incredibly important that appliances are handed in for recycling when they no longer work. It is safer and more efficient to have reputable recycling companies collect your broken appliances, such as this company from Georgia. Materials such as mercury, lead, chromium, beryllium, arsenic and cadmium can be very dangerous if not handled properly. It can also be incredibly dangerous if the chemicals leach into the ground or groundwater. The first step in the recycling process is to remove all hazardous waste so that no dangerous substances end up in nature.
Electronic devices, however, contain a variety of precious metals and materials that can be used for new products after disposal. These valuable resources play an important role in the work for a sustainable society. A functioning material recycling saves both natural resources and energy, compared to when new material is used. Through high-tech processes, we now have the opportunity to take care of large volumes of electronics that add new value.
Final Thoughts
There are many different types of recycling today, classified by type of material. However, above we focused on three of the most common recyclable materials that can benefit the users and the environment in various ways. Not only does recycling save energy and cut costs, but it also protects the ecosystems and wildlife, reduces carbon emissions and the need to harvest new materials.
