"The greatest environmental benefits of recycling occur in reducing natural resource damage and pollution that arise when extracting virgin raw materials and manufacturing new products."

Materials collected for recycling have already been refined and processed once, so manufacturing the second time around is usually much cleaner and less energy-intensive than the first.

recycling-based manufacturing reduces the need for activities like strip-mining and clear-cutting used to acquire virgin raw materials

Compared to using materials once, then throwing them away and having to replace them, recycling saves energy, dramatically reduces pollution from manufacturing, and avoids the destruction of natural resources that occurs when extracting virgin materials.*

Why should we recycle?

We don't recycle just for the sake of it! For recycling to be an effective way of dealing with waste, there has to be a suitable end market for the things being recycled, and the costs (in terms of money and environmental impact) of recycling need to outway the costs of usual waste treatment methods.

Every resident in Herefordshire and Worcestershire has access to recycling facilities. If you don’t already have a kerbside collection for recyclables there are a large number of recycling centres across each district.

Recycling:

• can save valuable raw materials and natural resources.
• can mean less pollution
• can help reduce the amount of rubbish being buried in landfill

Examples:

• A tonne of paper made from recycled materials could save more than 17 trees, use about 4KwH less energy and use 30,000 litres less water than if it were made from 'virgin pulp'
• Recycling steel cans uses upto 75% less energy than making them from iron ore. One tonne of recycled steel cans could save over a tonne of iron ore and half a tonne of coal.
• Recycling glass uses upto 40% less energy than making glass from raw materials.
• A fleece jacket can be made from about 10 recycled plastic bottles.

Household Waste Recycling Act 2003

The Act requires all Local Authorities in England to provide a kerbside collection of at least two recyclable materials from all households by 31st December 2010 unless the cost of doing so would be unreasonably high or comparable alternative arrangements are available.

*http://www.environmentaldefense.org/documents/611_ACF17F.htm