Importance of recycling

First of all, I want us to be clear on the definition of recycling. It can be defined as the process of making use of items which people consider as trash into something beneficial to the environment.

Recycling not only benefits the environment, it also benefits us as individuals.

Recycling boosts the appearance of the environment by making it look pleasant, and saves money and time.

As a matter of fact, plastics do not decay. If they are left in one place they could cause harm to the environment. For example, plastic materials inside gutter could prevent water from flowing which could result in flooding, endangering lives and property.

The easiest thing to do is gather the plastic materials for recycling. And,  in case you are not sure of what items to recycle, pick the plastics, gather them together and hand them over to local drink sellers. They will appreciate them. You can take your plastic items to the appropriate recycling companies/agencies that buy recyclable products, converting trash to cash.

WATER POLLUTION

Recycling helps reduce water pollution. The rate of water pollution is fast becoming a bother. Waste gets thrown into the ocean and its affect the water bodies.

Globally, quite a number of fish die everyday from water pollution. A lot of people are ignorant of or do not care about well-being of water bodies. They do not know or care that these animals could be harmed.

Water pollution affects everyone, because if these fish manage to get some toxins and chemicals into their body system and they get eaten by humans, it could make us sick. If they die, they will litter the water body and it becomes unsafe for other fish to live in them.

The contamination of dead water bodies, however, could affect people directly. People living close to or working around the water areas could drink the water that had been contaminated by water bodies or even bathe in it and become sick.

We need to make sure that our plastic wastes are recycled, if they cannot be properly disposed.

AIR POLLUTION

Recycling helps to reduce air pollution. The air that we breathe in is very important to our health and to avoid air pollution, we need to recycle. Examples of air pollution are landfill, smoke mixed with chemicals from factories, etc. Some of the landfills emit so gases that are dangerous to the human health. In order to avoid the release of dangerous gases into the air, we should recycle.

Items that should be recycled:

· Plastic bottles to flower pots

· Plastic bottles to cups

· Plastic bottles to pen and pencil holder

· Plastic bottles to artificial flowers (for decorative purposes)

To be continued…

Ayomide is a teen climate and environment advocate. He writes from Abuja.

Instagram and Twitter: @DamilolaENV