Recycling is a different way of conceiving life and perceiving the natural environment. It is respect for the enduring, for the value of use of things and for our Living Planet.
A, b, c, of recycling
Recycling is the process in which waste or waste materials are collected and transformed into new materials that can be used or sold as new products or raw materials.
Recycling is therefore the action of reintroducing material products obtained from waste into the production and consumption cycle.
The ideal thing to avoid damaging the environment is to use each waste for treatment: recyclable to recycling, compostable to composting -decomposition or biological transformation of organic material-. The result of the decomposition of organic kitchen waste and garden waste is compost or humus, a dark, food-rich soil conditioner.
In an ecological vision of the world, recycling is the fourth and last measure in the goal of reducing waste; the first would be the reduction of consumption, the second production and the third reuse.
Waste is classified into two large groups, biodegradable -wastes of organic origin that can be decomposed and incorporated back into nature. And non-biodegradable - those that do not undergo any decomposition process or whose process is not spontaneous and requires long periods of time - hazardous or biohazard waste is included. Although the two types can be widely used, it is advisable to recycle the non-biodegradable ones such as:
Glass: all kinds of bottle shapes and colors, also mirrors and broken glass.
Paper and cardboard: newspapers, notebooks, books and magazines in disuse.
Plastics: containers, toys or household utensils.
Metals: umbrellas, screws, tools and useless metal things.
Plastic bottles: disposable beverage containers.
Cans: cans of canned beer or lubricants, additives, vegetable oils, etc.
Disposable containers: cardboard or plastic boxes, containers, cups and plates.
Wood: furniture for the production of agglomerates.
NFU (End of Life Tires).
Textiles and leather.
Why is recycling important?
Large amounts of non-renewable natural resources can be saved when recycled materials are used in production processes. Renewable resources, like trees, can also be saved. The use of recycled products decreases power consumption. When less fossil fuels are consumed, less CO2 will be generated and therefore there will be less acid rain and the greenhouse effect will be reduced.
In the financial aspect, we can say that recycling can generate many jobs. A large workforce is needed to collect materials suitable for recycling and for sorting. A good recycling process is capable of generating income.
Recycling the glass saves energy and for every ton recycled 1.2 tons of raw materials are saved.
Recovering two tons of plastic is equivalent to saving one ton of oil.
For every ton of aluminum thrown into the landfill, 4 tons of bauxite must be extracted (which is the mineral from which it is obtained). During manufacturing, two tons of highly polluting and difficult to eliminate waste are produced.
In the case of paper, the felling of trees is reduced, since 17 trees must be cut down to produce one ton of paper. Instead, that same ton can be produced with a high percentage of waste paper. Colombian industries manufacture paper with 56% wood pulp and 44% recycled material.
Glass is made from minerals that the earth never replaces. Currently, 50% natural resources and 50% hull, which is recycled glass, are used to produce glass. For every ton of recycled glass, 30 gallons of oil are saved.
Non-biodegradable waste that is not recovered or recycled causes great damage to the earth, since some take hundreds of years to decompose and others never do.
Generate employment. In Colombia, around 250 thousand people make a living from recycling, which makes this activity an important subsector in the national economy. It also produces resources for social benefit institutions and community organizations.
Companies obtain a greater quantity of raw material of excellent quality and at a lower cost.
In the case of paper, in that made with part of recycled material, energy savings are 30%.
In glass production, 10-15% energy is saved for every ton of recycled material.
Producing aluminum from recycled material requires only 38% of the energy required to process bauxite.
To produce one ton of aluminum, 31 barrels of oil are needed, while only 2 barrels are needed when using aluminum waste.
It reduces waste, thus extending the useful life of sanitary landfills, a work that is quite expensive, especially due to the land it uses and its adaptation.
By recycling a liter bottle of wine, you will save enough energy to run a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours.
Recycling one ton of newspaper conserves 30,000 liters of water.
How can you contribute to recycling?
For a good recycling to take place, society must intervene in the garbage classification process, the fundamental step is to separate the waste at the source where it is produced, that is, at home, at the office, at school, the factory, etc.
The consumer aware of the need to reduce waste can choose products whose packaging is returnable, easily recyclable or environmentally friendly.
For waste classification it is necessary to have 2 plastic bags or containers. One of them is destined for organic waste and another for reusable material.
Papers and textiles should be clean, dry and preferably stacked and tied. Plastic containers must be rinsed to avoid bad odors. Metals and glass must be lined at their sharp points or edges.
Reduce the amount of garbage you generate at home and reuse organic waste that can be used to fertilize your plants.
Reuse containers and other containers as much as possible at home, school or work.
Various companies buy glass, paper, cardboard, plastics and even medical X-rays.
Find out about the garbage collection hours on your street or avenue. In case of not being fulfilled, contact the collecting company and formalize your claim.
Dispose of garbage in hermetically sealed bags. Avoid the proliferation of insects, dogs and rodents.
Recycling in the world
In Europe, recycling schemes are very varied. The Netherlands has targets of 30% recycling, 30% composting, 30% incineration with energy recovery and 10% final waste disposal.
In Vienna, a paradigmatic city of good environmental management, the scheme is 50% energy recovery, 29% recycling, 12% composting and 9% landfill.
According to the World Watch Institute, recycling activity in the economic community employs more than 2 million people in the United States.
Recycling is an important industry worldwide, equivalent to 44% of the steel produced in the world, 36% of copper and 25% of aluminum; 13% in textiles; 30% of paper and cardboard; 45% of the lead that is obtained from recycled scrap
In Spain, 11% of waste is composted, 8% is used for recycling and 6% is recovered from energy. 75% of the waste ends up in landfills.
To recycle
The mishandling of garbage is one of the factors that most threatens the environment, the garbage thrown on the banks of streams or rivers contaminates the water used for personal hygiene and food preparation. In addition, in winter the sewers are clogged, causing floods, which generates material and human losses.
The air is polluted with the odors generated by waste decomposing. The burning of waste thrown in batches pollutes the air with the particles produced in combustion and negatively affects the ozone layer.
Similarly, garbage thrown in lots, on sidewalks or in the streets, not only deteriorates aesthetics, but also attracts insects and rodents, transmitters of diseases.
The increase in sanitary landfills and garbage dumps reduces the quality of life in the peripheries of cities, altering important ecosystems, putting the flora and fauna of the Living Planet in danger of extinction.
KEY DATA
Of the 28,800 tons per day of waste generated in Colombia, only 3,800 tons (13%) are recovered and reincorporated into the production cycle.
Of that 13%, approximately 2,100 tons per day (7%) are recovered and sold by the so-called informal recyclers or reclaimers and about 1,600 (6%) are reincorporated into the production cycle through direct agreements between commerce and industry.
Of the materials that are currently recovered in Colombia, inorganic waste, which has an established market and possibilities for expansion, are mainly paper and cardboard, glass, plastic, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and rubber.
The reincorporation of the recyclable material in the production cycle is carried out through recycling chains, basically made up of the user of the cleaning service and consumer of goods and services, reclaimers and recyclers, industry, agro-industry and commerce.
According to information from recyclers, recycling activity has been carried out in the country for more than 60 years and about 20,000 families have a means of subsistence recovering and marketing recyclable material.
Approximately 6,000 families (30%) are associated in cooperatives and some 14,000 families (70%) work independently.
According to information obtained from the Evaluation of Recycling Chains, the paper and cardboard sector introduces around 1.1 million tons of raw material per year into its production process, of which about 500 thousand are from recycled material (44%).
Some 125,000 tons of recycled glass are reincorporated in the glass production sector per year and an additional 75,000 tons must be incorporated in the short term.
During 2004, the national industry produced 41,000 tons of copper and aluminum scrap, of which 14,000 tons were exported through large scrap yards and 16,000 tons of copper and 11,000 tons of aluminum were used for domestic production..
