November 2009

Plastics production also involves the use of potentially harmful chemicals, which are added as stabilisers or colorants. Many of these have not undergone environmental risk assessment and their impact on human health and the environment is currently uncertain. Plastics have a low entropy of mixing, which is due to the high molecular weight of their large polymer chains.

A macromolecule interacts with its environment along its entire length, so its enthalpy of mixing is large compared to that of an organic molecule with a similar structure.

Recycling may be the most wasteful activity in modern America: a waste of time and money, a waste of human and natural resources. Recycling the recovered materials is simple for metals and glass; they can be melted down, reformed, and reused. Yard waste can be composted with little or no equipment. Recycling preserves natural resources by reducing the need for virgin materials. So do source reduction and reuse.

Reduce your need; reuse bags until they’re torn. Use old bags to pick up dog waste. Reducing the amount that we consume, and shifting our consumption to well-designed products and services, is the first step. Finding constructive uses for ?waste?

Recycling is a manufacturing process with environmental impacts. Viewed across a wide spectrum of goods, recycling sometimes cuts pollution, but not always. Recycling separates paper, cardboard, glass, metal, and other materials, from the garbage for reuse or reprocessing into new products. Recyclable materials, food scraps and yard waste are collected curbside in almost all areas of King County.

Recycling aluminum cans requires less than 10 percent of the energy required to produce aluminum from bauxite. The recycling of cans has grown along with the penetration of aluminum into the beverage can market.

Recycling means to use something again. Newspapers can be used to make new newspapers. Recycling means taking a product or material at the end of its useful life and turning it into a usable raw material to make another product. To find recycling locations and programs near you, use our recycling locator. Recycling helps conserve landfill space, preserve natural resources and control rising waste disposal costs.

Recycling yard trimmings will save the city in landfill costs and extend the life of landfills. Recycling can be a significant component of an integrated waste management system. Depending on markets and contract arrangements, various materials can help reduce the cost of waste management practices. Recycling reduces waste, cuts air pollution and saves energy.

Recycling is the recovery and reuse of materials that would otherwise be wasted. First, salvageable items such as metals, paper, and glass are separated from other wastes.