• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
[Collapse
 
]
A Thank You fromWikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales
[Expand
 
]
Support Wikipedia: a non-profit project.
Donate Now »
Recycling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to:navigation, search
 
Recycling concepts
•
Waste hierarchy
o
Reduce
o
Reuse
o
 
Recycle
 
•
Regiving
•
Freeganism
•
Zero waste
Recyclable materials
•
Plastic recycling
•
Aluminium recycling
•
Battery recycling
•
Glass recycling
•
Paper recycling
•
Textile recycling
•
Timber recycling
•
Scrap
This box: view 
•
 
 
talk  
•
 edit
 
The internationalrecycling symbol.A recycling bin at a park in northernCalifornia.
Recycling
involves processing used materials into new products in order to prevent wasteof potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduceenergyusage, reduce air pollution (fromincineration
 
) and water pollution (fromlandfilling
 
) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gasemissions as compared to virgin production.
[1][2]
Recycling is a keycomponent of modernwaste managementand is the third component of the "Reduce,  Reuse,Recycle"waste hierarchy. Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass,  paper ,metal,  plastic,textiles, and electronics. Aluminum (e.g., cell phones and computers). Although similar in effect, thecompostingor other reuse of  biodegradable waste  – such asfood or garden waste  – is not typically considered recycling.
[2]
Materials to be recycled are either brought to acollection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessedinto new materials bound for manufacturing.In a strict sense,
recycling
of a material would produce a fresh supply of the samematerial, for example used office paper to more office paper, or usedfoamed polystyrene  to more polystyrene. However, this is often difficult or too expensive (compared with producing the same product from raw materials or other sources), so "recycling" of many products or materials involves their 
reuse
 in producing different materials (e.g.,cardboard) instead. Another form of recycling is the
salvage
 of certain materials from
 
complex products, either due to their intrinsic value (e.g.,lead from car batteries, or gold fromcomputer components), or due to their hazardous nature (e.g., removal and reuse of mercuryfrom various items).Critics of recycling claim that it often wastes more resources than it saves, especially incases where it is mandated by government. Note here that municipal recycling maynevertheless still be worthwhile if the net cost is less than the landfill or other disposalcosts for the same amount of material.
Contents
[hide]
•
1 Background
•
2 Cost-benefit analysis
o
2.1 Trade in recyclates
•
3 Legislation
o
3.1 Supply
o
3.2 Government-mandated demand
•
4 Process
o
4.1 Collection
o
4.2 Sorting
•
5 Common recyclables
o
5.1 Aggregates and concrete
o
5.2 Batteries
o
5.3 Biodegradable waste
o
5.4 Clothing
o
5.5 Electronics disassembly and reclamation
o
5.6 Ferrous metals
o
5.7 Non-ferrous metals
o
5.8 Glass
o
5.9 Paper 
o
5.10 Plastic
o
5.11 Textiles
o
5.12 Timber 
o
5.13 Other techniques
•
6 Sustainable design
•
7 History
o
7.1 Early recycling
o
7.2 Wartime recycling
o
7.3 Post-war recycling
•
8 Criticism
•
9 See also
•
10 Further reading
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...