Composting vs. Recycling
by Amy A. Whittle,
National Geographic, Published 2010
Composting and Recycling are two great ways to reuse waste materials without harming the environment. Both are simple and easy to do, help the environment, help the economy, and most importantly, help you! This article showed me how easily we can all change our lifestyles to help each other--and the environment out.
Composting is a process that reuses organic waste such as leaves, grass cuttings, vegetables, and newspaper, and combines them to create a compost that is very useful for growing new plants. The resulting soil is nutrient-rich and does not need to be fertilized. Beautiful plants can be grown with less effort because of all the nutrients found in the compost. If you do not use these materials, your community may. Many communities collect materials to make compost for projects and other community activities. The community may use it for planting new trees in your local park, or brightening up the town community center with new flowers!
Recycling is also very material efficient. Recycling takes used materials and reuses them for new uses, without wasting energy to make the materials. These used items are broken down into the basic materials and are then assembled into new products. When customers buy products with recycled materials, they are helping the recycling cause, and are also helping the environment. Much less energy goes into creating these products, so their prices are often lower than products with regular materials.
If recyclable materials or compostable materials are not used for these two causes, they are wasted and shipped off to a local landfill where they rot for millions of years.
I am glad I stumbled upon this article, because it showed me other ways that recycling and composting are helping the environment. I have never before truly understood the specifics of either process. Now I understand. These two processes alone employ millions of people and bring in billions of dollars to the industry, all while helping a great cause. What more can you ask for? It is the best of both worlds, and I look forward to learning about recycling in Environmental Science. I would enjoy learning about how the process really works, where the materials go, step-by-step. I want to know what can be recycled, who recycles it, and how to improve it.
I personally am very sure to check what can be recycled in my household and am responsible for making sure it gets to the right place. My family also keeps a compost pile in the back yard, and should be planting some new shrubs there soon. It's so nice to know that there is a better answer than fertilizer! Simply reusing organic material as nutrients for new plants...why didn't I think of that before? Did you know that you can be fined for not recycling certain materials? I like to think that I am not only helping my family out, but am helping my neighbors, friends, and the environment. Think about what the world would be like if everyone thought like that. Well here, recycling and composting is the start of it. Don't miss it.
1. What types of materials can be recycled?
2. Do you own a compost pile? If not, what materials on your property can be used in one?
3. How can we spread knowledge about recycling and composting to everyone?
4. What other processes like these save materials from being wasted or being shipped off to a landfill?
5. Why can't all materials be recycled? How can we add more materials to the recycling list?
