The natural degradation of plastic typically can take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years to fully break down. This long process is one reason plastic is one of the most highly recommended recyclable items. When plastic is thrown away, it sits in landfills, clutters the oceans, or litters the sides of roads for many years before it breaks down or is properly removed. As a plastic recycling center in New Jersey, we at All County Recycling recommend recycling your plastic for many reasons. There are many environmental benefits to recycling plastic that will help save the Earth from unnecessary pollution.
When you throw away your plastic items, they will end up at the landfill, where they will sit for many years to come. Plastics take up unnecessary space in landfills, and because they are not biodegradable, they will take up valuable space that could otherwise go to actual garbage. Recycling one ton of plastic will save about 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. This statistic shows how important it is to recycle plastic in order to make space for garbage that can actually degrade and break down over time.
Plastic is used to manufacture a wide variety of other goods. When plastic is recycled, it is reused to make loads of materials and goods, such as beverage and food containers, pieces for furniture, bottles for consumable supplies, and plenty more. The reuses of plastic are endless.
When plastic is made, it is manufactured in a process that requires a lot of energy consumption and resources. It requires water, petroleum, natural gas, and coal for energy. In order to avoid using and burning fossil fuels, recycle your plastic. Because petroleum is becoming scarce, it is important to save our natural resources for other purposes. Reducing the need to manufacture more plastics will help to keep petroleum levels higher.
Perhaps the most important reason to recycle plastic is to reduce pollution and harm done to our planet and the wildlife that calls it home. Plastic is the leading cause of litter on our planet. Because it is not biodegradable, it will sit as litter for up to 1,000 years. Plastic bottles and bags litter our rivers, lakes, and oceans, endangering our precious marine wildlife. By recycling your plastics, you will be saving the lives of many animals who suffer fates when they are trapped by plastics that are left littered in their homes.
There are many benefits to recycling plastic in your home or business. As a plastic recycling center in New Jersey, All County Recycling offers many recycling services that also expand past just plastics. We aim to make the earth a healthier place. Contact us today to learn about our recycling efforts and how you can join our efforts.
