Recycling Uses More Energy Than Making New Products
When the concept of recycling was novel, executing it was undeniably an uphill battle. But as the novelty of it wore off, people got more acquainted with the idea and developed advanced technologies and techniques to smartly recycle goods without consuming a lot of energy. According to the environmental protection agency, recycling aluminum cans saves up to 95% of the energy utilized in making new ones. Similarly, recycling steel and tin cans can conserve 60-75% of the energy used in manufacturing brand new containers. That's not all; recycling paper saves 60% while recycling plastic saves up to one-third of the energy required to produce original products.
Recycling Requires Too Much Effort And Sorting
Another common misconception regarding recycling that stems from the early days when technology wasn't adequately advanced is that recycling warrants meticulous sorting. But that's far from the truth. Yes, when the phenomenon first came about, it required tedious grouping that seemed never-ending. But those days are in the past now; you don't need to put in all that effort today. And ever since the arrival of single-stream recycling in the 1990s, the need to meticulously sort items before tossing them has diminished drastically. The systems responsible for recycling these days are ultramodern and can easily tackle multiple materials simultaneously.
Now you don't need to go online to find out if you need to remove staples from a paper before discarding the item into a recycling bin or whether you can recycle an envelope with a plastic window.
As long as you have the basics down, you don't need to worry about misplacing a recyclable. It will go through washing, shredding, crushing, and eventually be melted, so everything will be dealt with as needed.
Recycled Items Are Of Inferior Quality
The question on the quality of recycled items is not new; perhaps it is the oldest issue that was raised with regards to recycling. With the advancement in technology, one might assume that this problem must not exist anymore, and while they'd be right to believe that, members of the anti-recycling camp don't want anyone to know that. Therefore, they continue to propagate this baseless idea. However, the fact is that manufacturers of recycled goods have improved their methodology a great deal since the early days, and now they make top-notch products with recycled materials all the same. In fact, various studies show that recycled paper now meets high-performance standards. Moreover, modern-day glass, plastic, and steel containers made with recycled products are even backed up by the FDA. Hence, you don't have to worry about the quality of recycled items.
Don't let groundless myths stop you from doing the right thing. Be a responsible global citizen and play your part in sustaining the environment by practicing recycling. And if you feel like you can’t do it on your own, hire a reputable junk removal company and let them do the job for you.