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Negative Effects Of Recycling And Upcycling

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In a society that is becoming more and more vigilant about their environment and the harmful impacts certain materials have on Earth, recycling, upcycling and downcycling are becoming a popular trend. While they might sound the same, recycling, upcycling and downcycling slightly differ. Upcycling and downcycling are ways of recycling, but not all recycling is equivalent. All in all, each one of these practices has a great impact on our society and its environment. Many assume that these different ways of recycling are just merely positive impacts to our daily living and the environment as a whole but in reality, there are also negative consequences to these practices. Recycling is a form of waste management that involves converting waste into reusable material. Recycle is highly beneficial and promoted among society. The items that may be recycled include plastic, glass, metal and paper and many other items. Plastic is one of the fastest growing elements of municipal waste in America. 12% of all U.S. solid waste is plastic. Many people partake in recycling their plastics and glasses by turning them into recycling centers for cash. Some companies also contribute to helping out the environment by only producing items made from recycled materials. For instance, cardboard FM radio. It is made primarily from recycled cardboard. A benefit of this is that it can also be recycled again once you are done with it. It works like a real radio by catching FM signals with its antenna or you can plug in your phone or iPod to listen to your own music. Recycling reduces the size of landfills by utilizing waste products in a constructive way. Recycling prevents new resources from being exploited by reusing trashed items. It conserves natural resources including: oil, minerals, water, coal, timber and gas. Recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions are mainly responsible for global warming. Recycling helps prevent air and water pollution by decreasing the number of pollutants that are released into the environment. A negative aspect of recycling paper includes the use of energy that is needed to recycle. Although recycling paper saves 28 to 70 percent of the energy used for making new paper, the

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