What is Waste Recycling?

Waste recycling is the process of utilizing commercially produced and organic materials in a new way once the materials are no longer suitable for their original purpose. Recycling can involve anything from creating compost from organic materials at the end of a gardening season to reprocessing aluminum cans for the creation of new products. Engaging in waste recycling helps to ease the burden on limited natural resources, as well as minimize the amount of waste that would otherwise occupy landfills and garbage dumps around the world.

Some forms of waste recycling have been in use for centuries. Farmers often make use of clippings and dead plants to restore the nutrients of planting fields. At the end of a growing season, the final crops are harvested and the plants removed from the fields. The plants are added to what is known as a compost heap. As the organic material decays, it becomes suitable for use as fertilizer in vegetable and flour gardens. This continuing cycle helps to ensure that the upcoming season will result in a successful crop and harvest.

In more recent times, waste recycling has often focused on removing items from the trash and forwarding them to recycling centers. Used items such as newspapers and magazines, glass bottles, and aluminum cans can all be reprocessed and provide the raw materials required to produce new goods. It is not unusual for many municipalities to sponsor some type of recycling effort, scheduling specific days of the week when sanitation workers collect specified types of used items. Often, the city or town provides receptacles of some type, such as a bag or canister similar to those used for trash collection, that citizens use to collect the recyclable items and leave them at the curb on the appointed day.

Trash recycling can also involve the process of re-purposing a used item, giving it new life. For example, a small dining table may be altered into a coffee table by simply shortening the legs. An armoire may be reconditioned for use as a television or general media cabinet. Sections of denim jeans may be converted into backpacks or purses, while old bath towels can be cut into sections and used to wash the car. Re-purposing is one of the most common ways to waste recycle, and is often employed by people who do not engage in other forms of waste recycling.

Engaging in the process of waste recycling usually involves being aware of what types of items are accepted at recycling centers, as well as being creative in adapting items to a new purpose. Many communities are home to at least one agency or association that promotes the general idea of recycling. For people who are looking for unusual ideas for reusing older items, there are a number of web sites devoted to re-purposing everything from timber salvaged when homes are demolished to old neckties.