The Indian figure Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” What Gandhi was getting at was the finite nature of the Earth’s natural resources. Every year, landfills overflow with millions of tons of waste as more and more natural resources are wasted. A growing world consciousness has lead to the increase of recycling as a way to reduce and reuse resources, taking the strain off landfills and generally leading to a more environmentally friendly approach to the use of resources. Here are some facts on recycling and how businesses are appealing to the public audience through their green decisions.
Aluminum
There was once a time when aluminum was more valuable than gold due to its flexibility and seemingly limitless applications. Aluminum beverage cans are actually the single most recycled item in the United States and the act of recycling one aluminum can actually saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. A used aluminum can is recycled and placed back on the grocery store shelf in as little as 60 days. Those aluminum cans that are instead sent to the landfills or otherwise discarded will likely remain an aluminum can 500 years from now; for this reason recycling efforts are needed to minimize our environmental impact.
Plastics
Every single hour it is estimated that Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles — many of which are thrown away and left to sit in landfills. Some plastic bags and other forms of plastic garbage are discarded in Earth’s oceans, which kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures each and every year — plastic six pack rings and fishing line are notorious for the damage they can cause to ecosystems and the animals that inhabit them. By recycling plastic rather than sending it to an incinerator we can save twice as much energy and drastically cut down on the amount of plastics in production.
Paper
Every Sunday the newspaper goes out; what many people do not realize is that in order for this to be met around 500,000 trees must be cut down every single week. It takes decades for a tree to reach maturity, so the world’s growing need for paper naturally places us on a path towards deforestation in a world without recycling. Estimates suggest that if all of our newspaper was recycled, we could actually save around 250,000,000 trees every year; even if Americans recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers this would result in 25,000,000 trees saved per year. Every ton of recycled paper has the potential to save 17 trees, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 380 tons of oil, 4,000 kilowatts of energy, and 7,000 gallons of water.
Custom Recycling Bins for Your Business
Many consumers will support a company based on that company’s values; by investing in custom recycling bins, businesses are able to spread a strong conservational message that many Americans are happy to support. There are a number of plastic molding manufacturers that specialize in producing decorative, yet functional custom recycling bins. These bulk containers are typically manufactured by a rotational moulding machine and come in a variety of styles to suit all kinds of businesses. By participating in the recycling revolution, businesses can decrease their ecological impact, save money, and attract a new generation of environmentally conscious consumers towards their business. To learn more, read this.
