How can recycling benefit humans in minimizing the harmful effect on changes in materials
Answer (1)
Recycling helps minimize the harmful effects of changing materials by reducing the need to extract new resources, conserving energy, and reducing pollution. By reusing materials, recycling lowers greenhouse gas emissions, lessens waste sent to landfills, and ultimately promotes a healthier planet for humans and future generations. Here's a more detailed look:1. Conserving Natural Resources:Recycling reduces the demand for extracting raw materials like timber, minerals, and water, which can be environmentally destructive. For example, recycling aluminum uses significantly less energy than producing it from raw materials, and making paper from recycled pulp saves trees. 2. Reducing Pollution: Recycling decreases the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, minimizing the release of harmful pollutants into the air and water.By diverting waste from landfills, recycling can also reduce the risk of soil and groundwater contamination.3. Saving Energy:Recycling often requires less energy than creating products from new materials. This energy saving translates to lower greenhouse gas emissions and a smaller carbon footprint. 4. Economic Benefits:Recycling can create jobs in collection, processing, and manufacturing sectors. It can also lower the costs associated with waste disposal and resource extraction. 5. Climate Change Mitigation: By reducing the need for energy-intensive resource extraction and processing, recycling helps to lower greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change.Project Drawdown estimates that recycling between 2020 and 2050 could reduce emissions by 5.5 to 6.02 gigatons of carbon dioxide.In essence, recycling is a crucial practice for minimizing the harmful effects of material changes by promoting a more sustainable and resource-efficient approach to consumption and waste management.
