5 Ways Plastic Recycling Helps the Environment
Seraphim Plastics exists to do one thing: recycle plastics. We do it very well, by the way. Plastic recycling is an opportunity for us to take what otherwise would become trash and re-purpose it for other uses. What we do creates jobs, saves money, and even helps the environment. It is that third and final point we want to discuss in this post.
Plastics are not inherently bad in and of themselves. If it were not for plastics, the modern world would be a hugely different place. And yet, excessive amounts of plastic discarded as waste isn’t good either. It can be especially problematic for the environment.
What we do helps the environment in the following five ways:
1. Conserving Landfill Space
Landfills still represent the safest and most practical means of solid waste disposal. However, there are two concerns. First is putting materials into landfills despite knowing that their decomposition can harm the soil and drinking water. Second, landfill space is not unlimited. It will run out at some point.
Plastic recycling keeps tons of plastic waste out of landfills every year. Recycling reduces the chances that harmful chemicals will be released into the soil. It also frees up precious landfill space that would otherwise be consumed by products that do not decompose very quickly.
2. Protecting Wildlife
Plastics can be harmful to wildlife when disposed of improperly. Take fish, for example. Ingesting plastic waste disposed of in our lakes and oceans can be deadly to them. Their counterparts in the air and on land are equally susceptible. Recycling reduces the risks they face by re-purposing plastic materials and reducing the total volume of improperly disposed plastics.
3. Preserving Natural Resources
Plastic recycling provides raw materials for manufacturing. If we can manufacture more consumer goods out of recycled plastics, that means less reliance on natural resources. This fits neatly into the whole idea of sustainability, an idea rooted in the desire to make sure our children and grandchildren have every opportunity to use and enjoy the planet as we have.
4. Reducing Energy Consumption
It is impossible to produce new plastic products without consuming energy. Likewise, it takes a tremendous amount of energy to convert petroleum components into plastics. Recycling helps by reducing the amount of energy we consume. It takes a lot less energy to recycle plastic than create new, virgin plastic.
Anytime we can reduce energy consumption, we are helping the environment. Less energy consumption means less reliance on fossil fuels alongside more opportunities to utilize renewables.
5. Reduced Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases are emitted whenever we burn fossil fuels to generate energy. So by reducing energy consumption, we are also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But it doesn’t stop there. Another thing to consider are the greenhouse gases generated when plastics are incinerated.
The fact is that not all plastic waste goes into a landfill. Sometimes it is burned. Burning creates greenhouse gases that we can certainly do without. Recycling keeps more plastics out of incinerators, thereby helping the environment by reducing emissions.
We are not prepared to say that turning scrap plastic into reusable materials is the most important thing anyone can do to help the environment. We will say that recycling plastics is our part. Our business revolves around the idea of taking plastic products that would otherwise be disposed of as waste and turning them into new plastics with a nearly unlimited supply of applications.
If your business would like to buy recycled plastics or sell scrap material, please contact us. We operate in seven states including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Missouri.