The Benefits of Recycling

By John Nolan

Recycling has become commonplace in our lives. We dutifully sort our trash at home, seek out recycling receptacles in public places, and re-use our grocery store plastic bags. In the back of our minds, we understand that taking these steps is “good” for the environment. However, we probably do not give much thought to what happens to the recyclable materials after they leave our hands, or to the exact nature of the benefits. As it turns out, the process of recycling is rather long, but the benefits are far-reaching.

According to Dori Lasorsa of the Haverford Township Public Works Department, recycling became mandatory in Pennsylvania with the passing of Act 101 of 1988, “The Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act.” Since that time, Haverford Township has been a highly successful participant in the state’s recycling program, ranking number two among townships in terms of the amount of materials recycled. (Exact figures were not available.) This is especially impressive, noted Lasorsa, considering that Haverford Township’s residents are expected to participate under the honor system. Other than inspecting every bag of trash placed outside for collection, which would be costly and impractical, there is no way to monitor every resident’s participation.

What happens to recyclables?

The recycling process begins with the sorting of trash. In Haverford Township, bins are provided to residents for sorting paper, plastic, clear and colored glass, and cans. Residents are expected to sort their trash into the appropriate bins and leave those bins for collection according to the Township’s schedule. Not all recyclable materials are collected each week, and residents can call a hotline for updated information regarding what is being collected that week.

After the recyclables are collected, Accurate Recycling in Lansdowne, PA purchases them. In spite of its name, Accurate Recycling does not actually recycle the materials. Rather, they sort the materials and sell them to various clients who then recycle the materials for various uses. For example, Accurate sells the collected paper to the Jefferson Smurfit Mill, in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. At the Mill, the paper is sorted by grade (e.g. newsprint versus glossy stock), fed into a pulper, and processed into paperboard. The paperboard is then sold to local companies that use the paperboard to make boxes and other packaging. (Nancy, a representative of Accurate Recycling, was unable to provide information regarding the purchasers of other materials.)

In addition to selling collected paper to Accurate Recycling, Haverford Township also sells paper to farmers in Lancaster County, where the paper is shredded and used as bedding for livestock.

Who benefits from recycling?

The benefits of recycling are surprisingly widespread. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, recycling not only benefits the environment and helps to conserve resources, but also benefits the economy and helps to conserve energy. By recycling used materials, the need for new materials is reduced. The PDEP estimates that 7 million trees have been saved through the recycling of paper products. They also point out that recycled products are often of higher quality than new products, as the recycling process further refines those materials, making them more valuable.

Reduction of energy usage is another major benefit of recycling. Because used materials have already undergone an initial processing, they require less processing and refinement when they are recycled. As stated on the PDEP website, “the steps in supplying recycled materials to industry (including collection, processing and transportation) typically use less energy than the steps in supplying virgin materials to industry (including extraction, refining, transportation and processing).”

This reduction in energy usage, in turn, has positive effects on the environment, as it results in a reduction in the use of fossil fuels. Reduced fossil fuel use results in fewer emissions released into the atmosphere, as well as a conservation of fossil fuels in general.

As an industry, recycling can produce great economic benefits for the community. According to statistics on the PDEP website, there are 3,247 recycling and reuse establishments in Pennsylvania, which provide 81,322 jobs and generate an annual payroll of $2.9 billion. In the case of Haverford Township, newspaper recycling alone generates income for three separate business entities. The Township makes money by selling the newspaper to Accurate Recycling, who sells it to Jefferson Smurfit, who, in turn, reprocesses it and sells the final product to local companies.

As for the costs of implementing a recycling program, according to Act 101, the “program contributes approximately five dollars in state taxes for each dollar expended.” While the estimated $50 - $60 million invested in the program each year is certainly a significant amount of money, the $305 million that is earned in tax revenue is an impressive return on investment. In fact, Act 101 stresses the economic benefits of a statewide recycling program over the environmental benefits, demonstrating the practicality of such a program and, perhaps, launching a preemptive strike against those who might otherwise dismiss recycling programs as environmentalist propaganda.

Today, we live in a disposable society. As a result, we are burdened with more trash than ever. Recycling helps to relieve that burden by reducing the disposability of items. Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer can become tomorrow’s New York Times, which can become next week’s Washington Post. In addition to giving new life to old items, recycling helps to conserve energy and resources, reduce pollution, and create jobs. In short, recycling has the potential to benefit many people in many ways.