Day by day problems arise due to throwing away of wastage. That’s why we have to think again about what we throw away. Without throwing the waste away, if we are able to see it as an opportunity to turn things into other things, that’s the need of the world today. Improper waste management leads to a number of problems including environmental degradation, soil pollution, air pollution, water pollution, rising global temperature, etc.

The best option to reduce the impact on the Earth by our waste is to reduce wastage in our households, industries, and other ways that waste is piled up. Rethinking about our necessities is also important to reduce wastage.

If the above ways cannot be complied with, recycling is the best solution to protect our natural resources and save the future of our planet. The Global Recycling Day is a recycling initiative that was initiated in 2018 to save our planet and lives and it is celebrated on March 18 every year. The theme of the Global Recycling Day of this year is “Recycling fraternity”. Further, it aims to raise awareness about the importance of education about recycling and pollution this year.

Newspapers, plastic water bottles, soda cans, cereal boxes, and milk cartons are some of the common everyday recyclable items. If we put effort into recycling items that we usually throw away, we can protect the earth and our lives in a more profound way. Recycling is very important for us and the environment because it lessens the energy we use, enhances the quality of water and air we breathe, and combats climate change.

Recycling prevents air and water pollution. It lessens greenhouse gas emissions and water pollutants, saving energy, and reducing the number of air pollution prompted by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, which greatly contributes to the largest amount of energy produced. We could save money through recycling by saving things that can easily be reused.

Let’s consider the importance of recycling to protect aquatic life. One of the most important factors is recycling helps to keep plastics out of the ocean. Plastic bottles take around 450 years on average to degrade and some plastics take as many as a thousand years. Also, researchers have found that 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. That is the equivalent of five grocery bags of plastic trash for every foot of coastline around the globe.

We all know that pollution results in global warming and climatic changes. The oceans also are getting hotter due to these climate changes, and it results in making oceans acidic. Therefore, throwing trash away directly impacts ocean ecosystems and it is also changing the oceans’ currents. Due to the higher level of acidity in the oceans, the growth of corals and the formation of crustacean shells are reduced. Keeping the ocean clean is also very important because a healthy ocean regulates the climate and reduces climate change impacts.

Ocean currents are also important in distributing heat across the globe, regulating temperature and weather. The ocean also absorbs over 90% of the heat and approximately 30% of carbon dioxide emissions produced by human activities. Also, the ocean produces over half of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. 

This is the time for everyone to think a little and spread the idea of recycling all over the world. Someone will not save the world unless you start it. Let’s use our knowledge and creativity to make use of the discarded. Recycling and upcycling are the best two options we can use to minimize our effect to the environment.

Written by Rtr. Ishini Yakupitiya