Free Essay Sample on Why is Recycling Important

Introduction

Human activities have continued to gain an accelerated pace around the world, thus increasing productivity. Various factors have been attributed to increased productivity. These include; technological innovations, globalization resulting from better and improved transport and communication systems, among other factors. However, the increased productivity has come with an unprecedented challenge that we were unprepared for—waste management. As we continue to enjoy new products, equipment, and facilities, the waste produced continues to increase. The increase in the number of waste products has continued to pose a significant challenge in the industrial production sector. This calls for the development of an effective waste management program. While the producers and management of big producer companies continue to search for waste management solutions, the answer lies in recycling. Recycling is a practical waste management approach as it creates a cycle within the production process, thereby ensuring that nothing in the production cycle goes to waste.

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For any aspect of our production activities, recycling is essential for various reasons. Two main reasons why the recycling process is essential to include:

• For the development of sustainable environmental protection and conservation measures.
• For effective waste management and efficient raw-material utilization, thus avoiding depletion of resources while potentially reducing operational costs.

Environmental Protection and Sustenance

Environmental pollution is at an all-time high currently, and it is projected that by the year 2050, the damage caused may reach irreversible proportions. Human activities such as industrialization and urbanization have significantly contributed to the environmental degradation witnessed. Adding salt to injury is the challenge of waste management, contributing to the environmental pollution menace that the world faces. With companies and other large scale production producing massive amounts of waste, it is necessary to develop effective disposal systems that will ensure that the garbage gets reduced to sustainable proportions. Recycling is one approach that can help to achieve this.

Recycling entails reusing products that may be considered valueless or have no significance attached to them. In the sugar industry, for instance, molasses, which is a by-product of the combustion process was considered waste and got discarded as the sugar industry did not have any use for the residue. However, livestock experts recognized that the by-product could be used as an animal feed. Therefore, the sugar industry was able to use the product that was initially considered waste for a commercial purpose.

Recycling is important because it reduces the amount of waste generated in the production process. The food and beverage industry, for instance, continues to recycle most of the waste products in what is considered as an environmental conservation measure (Ma, Li, Jiang & Jiang, 2019). Through biodegradable packaging, which can be used for repackaging or decomposing and getting absorbed into the ecosystem, these companies can apply recycling concepts for the benefits of the environment. Green waste has been identified to be the most manageable form of waste that requires minimum recycling effort. From the making of compost to the production of biofuels, recycling is a waste product management system that significantly contributes towards environmental protection and preservation, which is an essential measure with the looming environmental crisis (Hole & Hole, 2019).

Effective Raw-Material Utilization and Reduction of Production Costs

Recycling has been identified to play an essential role in the efficient utilization of raw materials and the reduction of production costs. Despite the notion that there is an almost infinite amount of resources at our disposal that nature has to offer, it is essential to note that these resources can get deplorable. From the beginning of the industrialization age, most of the production methods utilized resulted in wastage and incomplete utilization of the raw materials used. As a result, many raw materials were discarded as waste despite the ability to be recycled in the production process. However, as time continues to advance, production methods have been improved, thereby contributing towards more efficient raw material utilization and by-products refinement.

Recycling has also been identified to be necessary for the reduction of the production costs by significant industries. While producers continue to invest heavily in the acquisition of raw materials and other essential production elements, recycling could significantly reduce these associated costs. For instance, while woodworkers may discard sawdust as waste resulting from the milling of timber, the by-product could get recycled for the making of cardboard, which is an alternative use which results into the presentation of alternative commodities into the market for customers (Faraca, Boldrin & Astrup, 2019). Therefore, this helps producers identify economic potential in what could have been wasted, were it not for the practical art of recycling.

Companies today can make huge savings through the adoption of recycling techniques. Consequently, recycling has also served as a solution to the massive challenge of waste management that is becoming increasingly difficult to tackle problems in America. Recycling has served as a solution to the elimination of the mountains of garbage piled up from the industrial sector activities.

Refutation

While recycling may be playing an essential role in practical waste management approaches and environmental preservation measures, it is not a smooth sail in the implementation of the recycling process. Various challenges make it difficult for producers to implement the necessary recycling techniques and processes. The economic costs associated with some recycling approaches are relatively high and discourage the producers from investing in these recycling projects. As a result, the continued production of waste products has made it challenging to implement environmental protection measures and waste management control.

Another challenge making it challenging to implement recycling management approaches is the lack of technical know-how on the conversion of waste to raw materials. Most raw materials such as plastic are cheap and quickly acquired, and recycling these products doesn't have any economic benefits for the recycling companies (Faraca, G., Martinez-Sanchez & Astrup, 2019). As a result, not all producers are willing to apply recycling techniques in their production methods despite the numerous advantages that have been attributed to the recycling process. While these challenges may be alleviated, it will require the creation of immense public awareness of the importance of recycling.

Conclusion

Waste management is a necessity in a world where environmental pollution is at an all-time high. Recycling has been associated with numerous benefits, including; the development of sustainable environmental protection and conservation measures and effective waste management and efficient raw-material utilization, thus avoiding depletion of resources while potentially reducing operational costs. With such benefits, it is necessary to develop viable recycling approaches that will help to ensure that there is the implementation of sustainable production approaches that will benefit humanity and the environmental setting.

References

Faraca, G., Boldrin, A., & Astrup, T. (2019). Resource quality of wood waste: The importance of physical and chemical impurities in wood waste for recycling. Waste Management, 87, 135-147.

Hole, G., & Hole, A. S. (2019). Recycling as the way to greener production: A mini-review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 212, 910-915.

Faraca, G., Martinez-Sanchez, V., & Astrup, T. F. (2019). Environmental life cycle cost assessment: Recycling of hard plastic waste collected at Danish recycling centers. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 143, 299-309.

Ma, B., Li, X., Jiang, Z., & Jiang, J. (2019). Recycle more, waste more? When recycling efforts increase resource consumption. Journal of Cleaner Production, 206, 870-877.