Recycling involves the collection of used and discarded materials processing these materials and making them into new products. It reduces the amount of waste that is thrown into the community dustbins thereby making the environment cleaner and the air more fresh to breathe.

Surveys carried out by Government and non-government agencies in the country have all recognized the importance of recycling wastes. However, the methodology for safe recycling of waste has not been standardized. Studies have revealed that 7 %-15% of the waste is recycled. If recycling is done in a proper manner, it will solve the problems of waste or garbage. At the community level, a large number of NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) and private sector enterprises have taken an initiative in segregation and recycling of waste (EXNORA International in Chennai recycles a large part of the waste that is collected). It is being used for composting, making pellets to be used in gasifiers, etc. Plastics are sold to the factories that reuse them.

The steps involved in the process prior to recycling include
a) Collection of waste from doorsteps, commercial places, etc.
b) Collection of waste from community dumps.
c) Collection/picking up of waste from final disposal sites.

Some items that can be recycled or reused
Paper	Old copies Old books Paper bags Newspapers Old greeting cards Cardboard box
Plastic	Containers Bottles Bags Sheets
Glass and ceramics	Bottles Plates Cup Bowls
Miscellaneous	Old cans Utensils Clothes Furniture

Most of the garbage generated in the household can be recycled and reused. Organic kitchen waste such as leftover foodstuff, vegetable peels, and spoilt or dried fruits and vegetables can be recycled by putting them in the compost pits that have been dug in the garden. Old newspapers, magazines and bottles can be sold to the kabadiwala the man who buys these items from homes.

In your own homes you can contribute to waste reduction and the recycling and reuse of certain items. To cover you books you can use old calendars; old greeting cards can also be reused. Paper can also be made at home through a very simple process and you can paint on them.

The schematic diagram below depicts recycling of wastes

Source: CPCB Report on Management of Muncipal Solid Waste

Waste recycling has some significant advantages. It
leads to less utilization of raw materials.
reduces environmental impacts arising from waste treatment and disposal.
makes the surroundings cleaner and healthier.
saves on landfill space.
saves money.
reduces the amount of energy required to manufacture new products.

In fact recycling can prevent the creation of waste at the source.

Recycling

Recycling is the name given to the ways in which materials can be used more than once. The earth has a limited quantity of natural resource and only some of them can be reused if we recycle them. It is vital to save as many as earth’s material as possible. About half of our domestic waste is paper, can be recycled if collected carefully. By recycling paper is less pollution from burning. Old glass jars and bottles can be crushed and melted to make new glass objects. Metals can also be recycled. It is important to recycle metal as resources will not last long. Scientists estimated that aluminum will remain the 2200s, and iron in about 2160. Aluminum and steel are relatively easy to recycle. Recycling plastics is possible but the process is not simple. Polyethene is widely used in packaging is sorted and impressed into bales before being shredded and reused.
Thus many newspaper are made up to 50% by recycling paper. The packaging industries recycle materials for 80% of our cardboard boxes scrap metal can be melted down for reuse. Glass milk bottles are reused again and again.

Need For Waste Management

Waste is defined as discarded material which has no value in normal use or for ordinary use. Solid wastes are those undesirable, useless and unwanted materials and substances that comes from human and animal activities. The hazardous wastes disposed in open land creates air pollution as well as ground water contamination. Millions of tones of wastes are produced every year in Earth. Most of it is buried in land fill sites. Radioactive waste is toxic and has to be transported very carefully to treatments before it is stored deep underground. It remains dangerous fro centuries. For increasing industrialization and rapid growth of population the solid wastes generation has not only increased bit its nature has also been changed. Wastes from urban areas and metropolitan cities and industrial units contain diverse type of materials. Many of those unwanted material are often considered as a resource in another setting of industries. In this context proper solid waste management is highly required to save public health and to protect environment. Environmental pollution needs diverse innovative technologies and managerial plans fro better remedies. We should also encourage private and community effort to reuse discarded material.

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