Reasons why you should recycle
Once an existing landfill has reached its capacity, new ones are set up at huge costs to taxpayers, and closer to your own neighbourhood than before.
With landfills in South Africa reaching their maximum capacity, recycling should be a top priority for every South African.
• Recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Since methane has a lifespan of just nine to 15 years, reducing methane emissions is thought to be an effective way of reducing climate warming in a relatively short period of time. In 2009, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 25 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were eliminated through the recycling of more than seven million tonnes of metals.
• Recycling reduces deforestation and saves the natural resources used to provide materials for paper, glass containers and aluminium cans.
• Recycling saves money. On a government level, landfill space costs money, but offers no monetary return on investment. On an individual or corporate level, recycling significantly reduces your general waste, in turn reducing your waste disposal costs to landfills. Since recyclables have a value, disposing of your recyclables will always be cheaper than disposing of waste to landfills.
• Recycling provides employment for millions of people worldwide.
