You may not always equate being green with junk haulers. But a good junk removal company is just as concerned about recycling and being environmentally friendly as you are. Good junk removal companies will sort through your stuff and determine what can be: 

  • Donated 
  • Recycled 
  • Repurposed 

In addition to being environmentally friendly, recycling has benefits that you might not think of. The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) provides a wealth of information on what to recycle and how to do it.  

 

Recycling is the gift that keeps on giving 

Obviously, recycling, donating or recycling reduces the amount of stuff that ends up in landfills. But, in addition to just being the right thing to do, recycling pays dividends for everyone involved.  

  • Who thinks of economic security when recycling? Apparently, using domestic materials means better economic security for the U.S. while conserving our natural resources like timber, water, and minerals.   
  • Recycling saves energy and prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials.  
  • Jobs are not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind in relation to recycling. However, recycling is a whole industry that creates jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries (as well as junk removal services).  
  • And recyclables are commodities. They can be bought and sold and are subject to market variations.  

 

Where does stuff go to get recycled? 

Recyclables are sent to a recovery facility. They’re sorted, cleaned and processed into other types of materials that can used to manufacture new items.  

 

Re-use  

More and more products are being manufactured with recycled content. Common household items that contain recycled materials include the following: 

  • Newspapers and paper towels 
  • Aluminum, plastic, and glass soft drink containers 
  • Steel cans 
  • Plastic laundry detergent bottles 

Recycled materials are also used in innovative ways such as recovered glass in asphalt to pave roads or recovered plastic in carpeting and park benches.  

Recycling may have started around 1904 when factories were opened to recycle aluminum cans. But recycling became more mainstream in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Thanks to continuing efforts to recycle, your recyclables can become new products that turn up in common household products.  

 

Money, money, money 

The EPA conducted a study about the costs and benefits of recycling. In 1 year, recycling accounted for: 

  • 681,000 jobs or 1+ jobs for every 1,000 tons of recylables 
  • More than 37 billion dollars in wages 
  • Over 5 billion in tax revenues 

 

The future of recycling  

Many companies are rethinking the recyling process to in order to prevent our throw-away habits from consuming us. A National Geographic partner is working on transforming the “make-take-dispose” mentality into one of continuous recycling. They describe it as a closed loop system of recycling plastic forever.  

Scientists are also working to remove odor and contaminants from certain types of plastics to turn them into so-called “virgin-like” resin to use the plastic again. Other projects include using bacteria to break down plastic and biodegradeable food packaging.  

If recyling experts get their wish, maybe landfills will go the way of the dinosaur – extinct.