Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. You’ve probably heard the phrase a thousand times. This catchy statement is the mantra of sustainability. It may seem over simplified, but the meaning behind the three R’s explains the foundational values of a sustainable lifestyle – living small and deliberately. Whether or not limit our waste and conserve resources affects our world’s environment and, in turn, affects our lives. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is an old-school statement but it never ceases to be relevant. I’ll save reduce and reuse for later and focus on the ins and outs of recycling for now.
Why is it important?
Recycling is vitally important to living sustainably because it limits the amount of waste that goes to landfills and conserves raw natural resources. Landfills are necessary to support the typical American lifestyle of excess but they are detrimental to the environment. Landfills release methane (a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change) as bacteria decompose organic materials. Communities surrounding landfills are at risk for groundwater pollution caused by landfill liners leaking toxic waste. The toxic waste leads to environmental problems as well as public health crises. By preventing recyclable materials from going into a landfill, you are reducing greenhouse gas emission at the landfills and reducing the leakage of toxic wastes.
Recycling also reduces environmental impacts by conserving natural resources. Recycling curtails the need for raw material extraction because the recycled materials can be converted into new products. Some recyclables can be converted into new products indefinitely. A can of soda or beer can be recycled and turned into another can for as long as people demand canned drinks. Once a soda can is sent to a landfill, its lifecycle ends. It will take many years for the can to disintegrate, but a recycled can will last through endless conversions. Using recycled materials to produce new products also requires far less energy than if the materials were extracted. By reducing the energy used in production, recycling decreased the greenhouse gases emitted to produce that energy.
It is for these reasons that recycling is an integral part of life for those who want to live sustainably.
How to:
Recycling is a simple step to take towards living a sustainable lifestyle. For some students, recycling is engrained into their habits; it’s second nature. Once you move off-grounds, if you have never recycled before beginning to recycle can be a daunting challenge.
While living On-Grounds, recycling was simple, virtually everything could be recycled and Housing and Residence Life distributed recycling bins to anyone who requested one. Recycling off-grounds is not as easy, but once you learn what can be recycled by the City of Charlottesville recycling is very simple.
More information on recycling in Charlottesville can be found here.
Thankfully, recycling through the City of Charlottesville is free. If you live in a house, the City will provide you with a recycling bin, but if you live in an apartment the recycling provided by you’re apartment management may not be as easy or ideal. Some apartment complexes do not even offer recycling to their residences. Other apartment complexes may offer single stream recycling. Single stream recycling is when all recyclables are mixed in a collection bin instead of being separated by type. Single stream recycling is not as efficient as sorted recycling because materials, especially high quality papers, may be contaminated by food waste. Contamination increases the chances of downcycling. Downcycling is when high quality paper, that has the potential to make high quality materials, is converted into low-end paper products like cardboard. Sorting recyclables into the proper bins and washing food containers before recycling them is essential to ensuring that what you recycle is diverted from the landfill and converted into new, valuable products.
If your apartment complex does not offer recycling (or they only offer single stream recycling), it’s not the end of the world! The McIntire Road Recycling Center, a mile walk from Grounds and a five-minute drive, accepts most recyclables from Charlottesville residents and businesses that are not offered municipal recycling. Team up with your neighbors and encourage them bring their recycling with you to the McIntire Center. If you notice that there is a lot of interest in recycling at your apartment complex, you can propose to your apartment management to install a recycling program. Chances are, if your complex does not have recycling then the management does not know that recycling is important to their residents.
Recycling can be the easy first step towards a sustainable lifestyle. This small, simple step has a huge impact.
Green & Me 