Recycling: Yay or Nay?
A question that often is asked whenever the topic of recycling is at hand, is about how effective recycling processes are. After all, couldn’t the process just add on to existing production costs? Well, put simply, No.
A common misconception is that recycling uses up more energy than making something new. In reality, recycling saves a large amounts of quantities of energy. For example, recycling aluminium cans can save up to 95% of the energy that would be required to make new ones from the raw materials - recycling a single glass bottle saves enough energy to power a 100 watt light bulb for hours.²
In effect, the reasoning as to why recycling happens to be energy efficient in almost all cases is due to the fact that recycled materials call for much less processing in order to once again serve as useful materials. According to the American Geosciences Institute, two such processes which demonstrate this effect are that of glass and aluminium manufacturing. Glass is made by melting sand along with other minerals at rather high temperatures. The molten mixture, once cooled, forms glass. The heat necessary to melt the mixture constitutes the most energy intensive part of making glass. Recycled glass still needs to be re-molten in order to form new glass products, thereby the energy saved is not that impressive - of about 10-15%, though nonetheless existent.
Aluminium, on the other hand, is produced from the extraction of an aluminum ore which generally presents as a mixture of minerals, called bauxite3. This mixture must be extensively processed to isolate the aluminum metal, which requires massive amounts of heat and electricity. In the United States, aluminum production unbelievably utilises more energy than any other manufacture product. This product is entirely unnecessary when recycling, as aluminum just needs to be cleaned and re-melted to be repurposed, which leads to aluminum recycling saving that impressive 94% of energy that would normally be required. The recycled materials which generally yield the largest energy savings are metals.³
Nevertheless, one of the most important reasons for recycling isn’t the potential energy reduction - but the fact that too much waste is polluting our environment, and recycling is a great alternative to cull the issue of our wastage.
References:
²Howard, Brian Clark. “ Five Myths about Recycling.” Newsday, Newsday, 27 Apr. 2018, ²www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/recycling-myths-1.18286155.
“How Does Recycling Save Energy?” American Geosciences Institute, 27 July 2018, www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/faq/how-does-recycling-save-energy.³
Graphics
First Image (Glass Manufacturing)
igh Performance Glass. Selecting a window or door that combines high performance glass with a quality frame and long-lasting weather resistant seals will result in a high performance, long lasting window and door.
Second Graph
Aluminium Production Process. Aluminium is the earth’s third most abundant element (after oxygen and silicon) and the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust (8% by mass). Aluminium bearing compounds have been used by man from the earliest times.
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