The 3 R’s – Recycle

This is the third in a three part series on the three R’s – Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling.

Recycling has to do with extracting the useful materials from solid waste (garbage) and reusing the usable substances.

The word recycling implies a cycle happening again. So before considering ways of recycling and the benefits of recycling, it’s worth taking a look at the first cycle a product undergoes – from production to consumption to being discarded.

The Process (Cycle)

The life of a paper, plastic, or metal product begins a long time before it ends up in the hands of a consumer. It begins with the extracting of raw materials from their natural environment, i.e. cutting of trees for paper goods, mining of metal ore, the collection of silica (sand) for glass-making, or petroleum used in plastics.

From the initial extraction phase, materials are then processed and refined in factories and mills, and then sent for further refinement and shaping into products. Eventually the product is packaged (usually in plastic), shipped to retailers, and put onto shelves for sale to consumers.

The process up to this point is fairly time intensive, especially in comparison with most products’ useful lifespan. Consider, for example, a paper plate used at our 4th of July picnic a few days ago. That paper plate has a useful life of about half an hour at most; that’s how long I’m using it to hold my hot dogs and potato salad.

It took countless hours of processing, refinement, shipping and storage to get me my paper plate which I use for an hour at most and then throw away. Once it is thrown away, it will sit in a trash heap somewhere, and if it finds ideal circumstances, it will biodegrade in anywhere from 3 months to a year – not bad, as far as biodegrading goes. See how long various materials take to biodegrade in this article.

And once that paper plate returns to its most basic chemical state, the cycle is complete. Then the cycle starts again in anticipation of next year’s Independence Day shindig. Start cutting the trees again.

The Genius of Recycling…

…is that it cuts out the most ecologically devastating part of the cycle – that of extracting materials from their natural environment. This is hugely important because natural resources are disappearing at unsustainable rates – trees being cut faster than they can be regrown, minerals being mined faster than they form.

Recycling is key for preserving Nature. And for Christians who take seriously the idea that this is our Father’s World, Recycling means curtailing the cycle of exploitation and destruction of Creation.

The good news is that recycling is perpetually becoming more common and more affordable. The bad news is that only a tiny fraction of products consumed are recycled (and that is of the portion that are recyclable).

If you recycle already, good! Keep it up. If you haven’t started recycling yet, check whether facilities are available in your neighborhood. Chances are you might even make a little extra money by recycling.

Click on this link for a poster by BFI detailing which materials can be recycled and which materials cannot.

Take your care of Creation to the next level by implementing what little changes you can – reducing, reusing, and recycling.