Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and conserves Earth’s depleting natural resources. People acknowledge that recycling points toward the right step for environmental friendliness, but not enough people promote it or actually recycle. If communities work together and recycle one piece of trash at a time, they will create a cleaner Earth and influence others to recycle. As simple as it may sound, a single-use plastic fork can end up in a landfill with piles of trash slowly but substantially harming the environment.
Recycling impacts the Earth in ways that cannot occur without eco-friendly communities. Eco-friendly shops such as EarthHero build their business by creating eco-friendly toothbrushes, soaps and even clothing made from organically grown materials and ingredients. EarthHero also uses plant-based ingredients without artificial fragrances or colors which benefits the Earth by creating sustainable products that serve as essential items in the customers’ everyday lives. Customers not only support EarthHero by purchasing from the online shop, but they actively protect the planet with the use of the products. Similar shops use compostable items to create packaging for products that easily decompose in soil or in an industrial composting system.
“First, recycling helps prevent more trash from going into landfills because the so-called trash that is actually recyclable, is being sent to a place where it can be properly recycled and then repurposed into something new. Second, it also helps reduce the amount of pollution that is produced from manufacturing new products because the recycled items are being converted into new products and these new products [from the recycled items] are now being produced using less energy and therefore creating less pollution,” magnet sophomore Simran Kant said.
When asked if students at NC actively recycle, Eco Warriors sponsor Grant McDurmon explained how whenever a recycling bin becomes available, he sees students separating their trash and choosing to recycle paper, plastic or aluminum. When people throw away items that can not end up as recyclables, contamination can occur in the recycling process. If certain non-recyclable materials such as cans mix in with recyclables, then it can prevent large batches of recyclable items from becoming recycled and eventually end up in landfills. Due to this, only 10% of recyclable trash actually becomes recycled.
“I’d also like to stress the fact that recycling is so important but if done incorrectly it can actually do more harm to the environment than help. For example, if even a single candy wrapper or a single piece of goldfish gets put in the bin of recycling that goes to a factory to get recycled, that single piece can ruin the whole process and mess up how the recycling is repurposed and then many times that recycling is not able to be properly repurposed,” Kant said.
NC students work diligently to improve recycling habits in and outside of school with morning recycling trips by a student-led club, Eco Warriors. The club encourages recycling and supports the eco-friendly use of products to create a cleaner future. These students hold events to fundraise money for the club such as the Valentine’s Day candy sale and hold clean-up events when able. McDurmon explained that he desired to sponsor Eco Warriors because he believes the same core ideas that the student leaders of the club do; On Earth, responsibilities such as recycling become crucial to help conserve the planet’s resources so that newer generations can enjoy them long into the future.
“Our student leaders and members are always brainstorming ways to raise awareness about environmental issues, and volunteering to lead activities that help people make small but important environmentally friendly choices,” McDurmon said.
