How is not recycling affecting the environment

In March of , just a few months ago, a whale washed up on the shores of a beach in the Philippines with 88 pounds of plastic in its stomach, it died a few hours later. Wildlife all over the world are suffering because of us, whether directly or indirectly. Just imagine how much more waste would end up in our oceans if we stopped recycling. Not only will there be environmental impacts if we stop recycling but there will also be big economic impacts. As we mentioned above, the recycling industry employs hundreds of thousands of people in the U.

Recycling also saves manufacturers money. For instance, according to All Recycling Facts , using fresh aluminum costs twice as much as using recycled aluminum. This is because a lot more energy is needed to extract aluminum from its raw forms. Without those savings, the cost of our goods would increase. Additionally, glass and some forms of metal can be recycled and remanufactured an infinite amount of times and never wear out.

The effects of not recycling are substantial. We not only need to continue recycling but also step up our efforts. Fossil fuels come from the fossilized remains of small water creatures and plant matter that existed during the Carboniferous Period, which occurred about to million years ago. Current estimates are that by or thereabouts, the reserve won't exist anymore.

Manufacturers use fossil fuels to make nylon and plastics, and if humans don't continue to recycle, this energy source may disappear altogether, sooner rather than later. By recycling plastics, the need for fossil fuels gets reduced, at least in the manufacturing sector where it is a material resource.

In , for example, recycling efforts prevented If people took the time to compost food and yard waste, recycle paper, metals and electronics, it would go a long way to preserving Earth's natural resources and help slow climate warming. As a journalist and editor for several years, Laurie Brenner has covered many topics in her writings, but science is one of her first loves.

Her stint as Manager of the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in California's gold country served to deepen her interest in science which she now fulfills by writing for online science websites. Brenner is also a published sci-fi author. She graduated from San Diego's Coleman College in Harmful Effects of Plastic Waste Disposal.

When items are thrown into the garbage, those materials are lost and need to be replaced by new material through mining, drilling or other methods of resource extraction. To give this issue a little perspective, think of how much plastic was probably produced between and In the ten years from to alone, we produced even more plastic than in the entire previous century. The good news? These effects can be easily avoided through recycling! Use our Recycling Guide to find out how to properly dispose of just about everything.

A little extra effort put into recycling correctly will make a big difference for our planet in the long run. Greenhouse Gases Are Released The production of plastic items — which come from petroleum — generates significant amounts of greenhouse gases.