Recycling — Your life depends on it

Were you aware when materials cannot be broken down, reused, or recycled, they can pose a danger to us? 

We might know that recycling a ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, and 4,000 Kw of energy in the production of new paper. This energy is enough to power an average home for almost 6 months!

Let’s look at the benefits in metal recycling, which conserves more energy than you think. By reusing scrap metal, 92%, 90%, and 56% of manufacturing energy can be saved when producing new aluminum, copper, and steel.

Perhaps if we were more aware of the downside of not recycling, we might change our habits. One way waste in landfills affects us is its contribution to greenhouse gases, the leading cause of global warming and climate change. Another negative effect is it perpetuates more mining, deforestation, and oil and gas extraction, which are also adding CO2 to the atmosphere in huge quantities. Methane gas is a by-product of landfills and adds CO2 as well.

Let’s cut back on our extraction of raw materials and allow the earth to heal and grow. Reduce, reuse, and recycle, the three golden rules we were taught as kids, is what will save our planet. Recycling services, provided by Kelowna Recycling and other companies across Canada, brings essential metals and plastics back into manufacturing facilities for reuse. It brings used paper back into the supply chain, with fewer trees needing to be cut. Smaller landfills mean lower carbon emissions, and fewer pollutants leaching into our environment.

senior hands giving small planet earth to a child

Recycling Pickups and Dropoffs in Kelowna

Check out our Metal Recycling and Dropoff Recycling pages to learn more about what can be recycled. Call us for hours or to schedule a pickup at your office or construction site.