From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: Seven Reasons Why Recycling is the Environmentally Responsible Thing To Do

Do you want your children to live next door to a landfill? The burning of this pile of trash releases toxic chemicals into the air, causing serious problems for our own generation and the ones that follow. There are many reasons why recycling is an earth-friendly and environmentally responsible thing to do.

The problem with landfills
Landfills are created when recyclable waste is thrown together with non-recyclables. The waste is never to be separated again. It sits there, ugly, stinky, semi-melted and dangerous.

Small steps are large savings to the environment
Small things you can do to recycle add up to big savings for the environment. One recycled glass bottle saves enough energy to run your computer for 25 minutes! On the other hand, the number of New York Times newspapers thrown away each day can fill the entire Empire State Building!

Recycling is good for business
For businesses and municipalities, environmental responsibility has become incredibly important to consumers. Knowing this, recycling is a good business decision, as well as helpful to the environment.

Growth in construction waste, and how to deal with it
Careful remodelers and contractors arrange for responsible recycling of construction waste. Many companies, like Lakeshore Recycling offer open transportable roll-off dumpsters to contain and compact the construction waste generated each day.

It’s easy to recycle with new technology
With single-stream recycling, meaning the waste doesn’t have to be sorted before it goes to the curb, it’s easy for households and businesses to protect the environment. With such ease of “doing the right thing,” and so many of your friends and neighbors also being protective of the environment, it’s nearly embarrassing to not do your part.

Buy recycled products
Just a few years ago, recycled products were significantly more expensive than the traditionally-made versions. Copy paper is a great example of this. As recycling costs have dropped, recycled paper and other packaged items are often priced equal to first-generation items. Often items made from recycled materials are less expensive. Recycling costs have dropped because there are more people recycling more materials, and the industry has grown to create streamlined methods of manufacturing.

Protecting the earth by recycling is environmentally responsible, good for business, and good for future generations of the world. It all starts with a commitment to do your part, however small. Responsible recycling is the right thing to do to preserve our fragile earth.