Lillian
Liem 6S 26
Date:
Discuss on the recycling of wastes
e.g. paper and aluminium
Recycling is an important aspect
in conservation. The term recycling has two dimensions: recovery and
utilization. Recovery refers to the collection of waster material that can be
reused. Utilization refers to the processing of diverted waste into new and
useful material and products. Some of the solid wastes can be recycled. They
can be classified under the categories of reusable material and recyclable
materials. Renewable material (such as glass bottles) can be sold to relevant
manufactures. Recyclable materials include paper, metals (such as aluninium
cans), certain types of plastics, types and other valuable materials. They are separated
and then sold as raw materials for recycling.
Glass, steel (or "tin") and
aluminum are easy to recognize and recycle. For clarity, a recycling symbol
should be present, but most people have little trouble sorting these materials.
Glass bottles must not be mixed with other types of glass such as windows,
light bulbs, mirrors, glass tableware, Pyrex or auto glass. Ceramics
contaminate glass and are difficult to sort out. Clear glass is the most
valuable. Mixed color glass is near worthless, and broken glass is hard to
sort. There have been marketing experiments with plastic and steel cans that
look exactly like aluminum cans. Recycling plants have been damaged by these
fakes. The distinctive shape of an aluminum beverage can must be reserved for
aluminum beverage cans only. It is no longer necessary to remove labels for
recycling. To save water, clean only enough to prevent odors. Unlike with
plastics, the high temperature of glass and metal processing deals easily with
contamination. Scrap aluminum is accepted in many places. Other metals are
rarely accepted.
Most types of paper can be recycled. Newspapers have been
recycled profitably for decades, and recycling of other paper is growing.
Virgin paper pulp prices have soared in recent years prompting construction of
more plants capable of using waste paper. They key to recycling is collecting
large quantities of clean, well-sorted, uncontaminated and dry paper. Paper
that can't be recycled as normal "mixed paper" includes: food
contaminated paper, waxed paper, waxed cardboard milk & juice containers,
oil soaked paper, carbon paper, sanitary products or tissues, thermal fax
paper, stickers and plastic laminated paper such as fast food wrappers, juice
boxes, and pet food bags.
With a little bit of
care much plastic can be recycled, and collection of plastics for recycling is
increasing rapidly. Plastic recycling faces one huge problem: plastic types
must not be mixed for recycling, yet it is impossible to tell one type from
another by sight or touch. All plastic containers we purchase should be marked
with a large and clear recycling code. This code must be molded into the
plastic and located on the bottom surface of the container. Ideally the entire
container should be made of the same plastic to avoid confusion, but often the
caps are of a different type. Caps should be separately marked, but few are.
Note that most caps are not of the same type as the bottle they sit on
Recycling of waste
materials helps to alleviate solid waste pollution to the environment. Reducing
the rate of depletion of natural resources thus saving the energy used in
mining and processing of natural resources. Less wastes, less the needs for
landfill sites.
Development of recycling industry can create more posts. Also,
educating people through, the practice of recycling, about the important of
proper waste disposal, thrift use of natural resources and environmental
problems.