What are the benefits of recycling?
• Keeps mercury containing products out of inappropriate waste disposal streams (especially incineration); • Preferred disposal method in most states for mercury-containing lamps; • Consistent with solid waste disposal bans and partial bans in some states; • May limit user’s superfund liability; and • Simplifies enforcement Lamp recycling is not self-supporting. Spent lamps have no intrinsic value or embodied energy. The recovered mercury has minimal value however the cost of recycling lamps is relatively small compared to the cost savings from using energy efficient lighting. Generally, fluorescent lamps are four to five times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent lamps reduce energy consumption which saves you money. Reducing energy use also cuts down on power plant emissions of mercury and other emissions that contribute to global climate change, acid rain and smog.
Recycling benefits everyone and everything. Here are a few reasons why: • Conserves natural resources such as wood, water and minerals • Saves energy because less energy is used to manufacture brand new products • Produces less greenhouse gases because industries burn fewer fossil fuels • Recycling programs cost less than waste disposal programs • You can receive money for turning in certain recyclable products • Recycling centers create 4 jobs for every 1 job in the waste disposal industry • Recycling programs keep 70 tons of waste from being deposited into landfills every year • Prevents the destruction of natural habitats • Decreases soil erosion associated with mining and logging How can you get involved in recycling? You can be part of the recycling initiative by either recycling products on your own or by joining a recycling program. You can see a complete list of U.S. recycling programs by checking out the Environmental Protection Agency website. Recycling Programs By joining a
The benefits are numerous: You simply use, recycle, and re-use your solvents at the point of generation. They never leave the area. Your facility can save a lot of money not having to buy new solvents and not having to pay someone to haul away your old solvents. Your facility also saves on storage space and storage lockers. Your institution saves on labor in Purchasing and Accounts-payable, by not having to transport hazardous and flammable liquids through hospital corridors, and not having to store these solvents in a central location. Finally, recycling increasingly is being required as part of various Federal, State and Local mandates on waste minimization. Finally, waste minimization not only makes good sense as a way to avoid compliance problems, but it also makes good environmental sense. Recycling is one of the few times in life when “doing good” also saves you money, time and space.
Recycling saves energy and resources For every ton of paper made from recycled materials saves 17 trees, 6.953 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 587 pounds of air pollution, 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space, and 4,077 kilowatt hours of energy. In one year, recycling allows aluminum companies to save the equivalent of more than 19 million barrels of oil – enough energy to supply electricity to about 18 million households for a year. Recycling one glass bottle or jar saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours. Recycling one pound of steel can power a 60-watt light bulb for more than a day. Recycling one ton of plastic saves the equivalent of 1,000 – 2,000 gallons of gasoline. Recycling decreases pollution Making cars from recycling aluminum decreases related air pollution by 95 percent. Making recycled paper generates 74 percent less air pollution and 35 percent less water pollution, and uses 64 percent less energy than making paper from virgin timber. Recycli
We cannot sustain our consumerist lifestyle without getting inundated by garbage and exhausting the earth’s resources. The products that we use are wrapped in several layers of packaging material that are perfectly recyclable – plastic, aluminum, paper, tin, wood, etc. Solid waste disposal experts engage in an uphill struggle to contain this virtual avalanche of garbage we produce everyday. It is apparent that digging a hole, a landfill, is clearly not the answer. Sooner or later, the waste becomes uncontainable and will spill into our farming areas, forests, and water sources. Here are 7 good reasons why we should recycle: 1. Financial Income – There is money in recycling. In the level of the individual, one of the benefits of recycling is financial income. There are a lot of things lying around the house that we no longer want or need that might just end up in a dumpsite somewhere, that we can recycle and earn money from. Cell phones, PDAs, ink cartridges, etc. Here at PaceButler, fo
