recycling

[vollerbo]

My 7 year old son would like to know how all the tons of rubbish that are recycled are recycled without polluting the earth, or does the recycling outweigh the pollution?

[Hawkwalk]

There is always an energy cost to recycling but this is much less than using raw materials to make the product from scratch.

[Buenchico]

Recycling isn't totally pollution free (or energy free) but it's better than 'starting from new'.

For example, making a plastic bottle 'from new' uses oil (and so depletes the earth's natural resources). It also requires energy (which might come from an oil-fired or coal-fired power station, again depleting fossil fuels). Making the brand new bottle (and producing the energy to do so) will also produce greenhouse gases.

Making plastic bottles by recycling old ones doesn't require oil, so that's the first saving. It also doesn't require as much energy, so the earth's fossil fuel reserves aren't depleted as much in producing that energy. Lastly, because not as much energy has to be generated, the amount of greenhouse gas production is reduced.

I'll leave you to translate that into terms a 7 year old can understand ;-)

Chris

[vollerbo]

Cheers Chris,
Funnily enough he understood! You answer was perfect thankyou very much.
andrea

[Panic Button]

Also every ton recycled is a ton less in landfill