Why Is Recycling So Important and What Can We Do?
Have you ever wondered if what you know about recycling is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on recycling.
Many councils do not recycle other types of plastic or boxboard that is commonly used in consumer packaging. Many public works department gathers recyclable material, stores it and then resells what it can to generate revenue to offset expenses. These include a complementary collection from the waste collection agency of move-in boxes. What’s more, the council offer free home composters for the backyards of keen gardeners. A green box & net will be provided for clean glass bottles & jars, clean food cans, drinks cans & foil and empty plastic bottles.
We send a powerful message to companies about changing consumer buying trends for example, if we demand less packaging on our food, food production companies will eventually respond and produce less and simpler (and more environmentally friendly) packaging. But it’s not difficult to have a green Christmas without spoiling anyone’s fun, so here are a few suggestions to help keep the environment on the list whilst still making merry! A great deal of waste is generated at Christmas time with mountains of cards and wrapping paper discarded every New Year. As the waste stream continues to grow, so will pressure on our landfills, resources and environment.
Setting up an office recycling scheme is something that all businesses can do to help the environment, and in many cases save money. Regardless of how many people work in your office, there are always steps that can be taken to recycle some of your waste. In the past few decades there has been much talk about global warming and the effects it has on our climate and environment. With that talk comes a lot of debate on the causes and effects of global warming. One way SC Johnson is doing what’s right for the environment is by reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, SC Johnson sources 38 percent of its global electricity from clean renewable solutions like wind energy and a co-generation turbine(2).
You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about recycling. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?
This represents a 27 percent increase from 2005. Still, additional material will need to be collected for manufacturers to reach their goal. Six out 10 women felt it’s time to promote a greener economy, while 57 percent are behind promoting green and sustainable development. Its customer base has grown by 100 percent since January, doubling itself each month. If this rate continues, Natur-Energi will have around 50,000 consumers by the end of 2009.
In addition, nearly 30 percent of food sold in stores in developed countries such as the U.S. That waste is filling landfills, as well as wasting money (see Food waste costing billions in the U.K. Only a small percentage of paper, for example, is converted back into usable paper. Every time you recycle, you actually suck technical nutrients out of a product, lowering its quality.
Businesses that recycle help the environment I recently visited a hotel group that was environmentally friendly. I will always support them so let me ask you, are you planning a trip? Although recycling may seem like a modern concept introduced with the environmental movement of the 1970s, it’s actually been around for thousands of years. Prior to the industrial age, you couldn’t make goods quickly and cheaply, so virtually everyone practiced recycling in some form. That said, “You’re going to collect waste one way or another”, as pointed out by a Washington-based environmental consultant. A recycling program should allow garbage collection to become less frequent (or to use fewer trucks), offsetting the cost and energy involved.
How Hydro-Power Is Generated
Hydro-power has been used for a variety of functions over the years. It was used in flour mills, where water-wheels turn a shaft, that ground the flour, and even in irrigation system thousands of years ago. These days, it has a more prominent role as a renewable source of energy.
Nowadays hydro-power is generated in 3 different ways: hydroelectric power, tidal power, and wave power.
Hydroelectric dams:
This form of hydro power accounts for over 90% of all renewable energy generated. Power is generated in large dams, where water is forced through large turbines.
What makes hydro-electric dams so popular is that they have two very important roles – to store and distribute water to various cities, and generate thousands of megawatts of electricity at the same time.
However, many governments have come under scrutiny for using hydro-electric dams. These dams tend to flood a lot of land where thriving communities live. They can affect various plants and animals in the region, and cut-off the water supply for communities living downstream.
Tidal Energy:
With tidal energy, hydro-power is generated as the tides comes in and goes out.
France and Russia have successfully used tidal power since 1966. One system is used in large bays and estuaries where water from the high tide is dammed up and diverted through turbines at low tide.
The only drawback with using such a system is that it only operates as the tide turns, which is every 6 hours.
Another, more modern tidal energy system works where large turbines (that look like wind turbine) are sunk in the shallows, and are spun by the shifting tidal currents.
Since this system is an underwater version of a wind turbine, the technology is up to date and refined. Also, water has a high density than air, so the turbines can spin in the lightest of currents.
The disadvantage with this tidal power system is that it can only operate in shallow area. This is usually where other economic activities, such as oyster farming, take place, and also where marine life thrives.
Power from the oceans waves:
This is the youngest of the three hydro-power solutions. The system harnesses the power from ocean surface wave motion, where air displaced by waves is driven through a generator than spins a turbine. The end result is electricity. These generators can either be coupled to floating devices outta sea, or fixed along the shore where seas are rough.
The good thing about using the ocean’s waves is that they have the equivalent kinetic energy of 2 million kilowatts of electricity.
However, wave power systems do have environmental concerns. Their hydraulic fluids could leak out into the ocean, causing water pollution. And the fixed structures on the coastline, can damage the natural plant and animal life on the seafloor.
Last words:
Over the years we have come up with advanced methods of using water to produce power. Though there are a variety of benefits to using this kind of renewable energy, there are still a number of social and environmental concerns.
