Recycling means making something into something new. You probably use recycled items everyday without thinking about it, a can, a glass bottle, even your computer or bike might have parts in it that have been recycled.
Reasons to recycle:
- Saves valuable natural resources and protects wildlife habitats (for example, bauxite - used to make aluminium is extracted from quarries which are often in rainforest areas).
- Landfill sites won't get full up so quickly - particularly important in the South East of England where we live.
- Reduces the energy used in making products
Each year, every person uses two trees worth of paper. That means that every year, two trees, per person are being cut down, just to make paper. Wouldn't it be better if we all used recycled paper? Then we wouldn't have to cut down quite so many trees!
Recycling is easy:
- Two thirds of houses in Wealden have a collection of paper, cans, foil and green garden waste and cardboard. Glass and plastic bottles can be taken to your local recycling banks.
- Start collections of paper, cans and glass bottles at your school. Contact the Waste Management Team at Wealden District Council to see if we can collect them from you for recycling - email us - recycling@wealden.gov.uk if your school are interested in starting recycling collections.
- How about setting up a composting scheme or wormery at your school - it will help to recycle your food waste, fruit peelings and the teacher's tea bags!
- A charity called Recycool provides collections for printer cartridges and mobile phones in schools. They will then pay your school money for every cartridge and phone that you collect and you can decide how you spend the money! www.recycool.org Ask your teachers to find out more!
Hopefully we have given you some ideas of what you can do to protect the environment by reducing, reusing and recycling you rubbish. Remember.It is much better to reduce waste in the first place as then there is less to deal with. Reusing things is the second best option as it saves you buying new things. After you have reduced and reused as much as you can, recycle. There will always be some things that can't be recycled, like toothpaste tubes and crisp packets but as long as you do your bit, it will make a difference.
