Burn or Recycle?

Incinerators & 3R Approach

Incinerators are places where waste is burned. Some modern incinerators use the heat produced by the burning waste to generate electricity. These incinerators are called Waste-to-energy plants. There are problems with Incinerators, though. The smoke from incinerators may contain dangerous chemicals such as dioxin. Tiny quantities of this  chemical can cause ill health or even kill people. 

Better to recycle 

Much of the waste that ends up in landfills and incinerators could be recycled. If it is recycled, it can be used to make something else. This is much better for the environment.

The three "R's" of managing waste are "reduce," "reuse," and "recycle:' Reduce means to cut down on the amount of waste, reuse means to put something to a new use or to fix it rather than throw it away, and recycle means to make a material into a new product. 

Reduce and reuse It is much better to not produce any waste in the first place. If less waste is thrown away, there is less waste to bury in landfills or burn in incinerators. For example, disposable diapers are a substantial part of household waste in houses where there is a baby. This could be avoided by using washable diapers. The next best way to deal with waste is to reuse it. For example, old plastic pots can be used as plant pots. Another way of reusing something is to sell it or give it to a charity shop or yard sale. If something cannot be reused, then the next best thing is to recycle it. 

Try to reduce the amount of packaging in your waste. Always take a shopping bag with you so you don’t have to pick up lots of new plastic bags.  Try to choose goods with fewer layers of unnecessary packaging.  Once you have removed all the packaging, make sure you recycle as much of it as possible. 

Recycling means to make something into a new item - for example, a glass bottle can be melted and made into a new bottle, while old cardboard can be shredded and made into new cardboard. Virtually all of the world's countries have recycling programs. A wide range of items can be recycled, but the most common are glass, paper, metal, plastic, old clothes, oil, and batteries. There are recycling facilities such as aluminum and plastic recycling bins near stores and parking lots, and items for recycling are often collected from the home. So remember the three UR's" -reduce, reuse, and recycle. It is always better to reduce first, then to reuse, and finally to recycle something.

Taking a moment we would like to express our appreciation to Dumpster Rentals and Waste Disposal & Recycling companies for their continuous and consistent Environment Protection efforts:

• Waste Dumpsters & Recycling in Brampton, Ontario
• Calgary, AB Dumpsters & Roll Off Bin Rentals
• Etobicoke Waste Hauling, Disposal & Recycling Services
• Sarnia, ON Roll Off Dumpster Rentals

• Published: 2012-11-20T19:16:26-08:00
• Author: ROB THIBAULT