1. Reduce Climate Changing Carbon Emission

Recycling means you need to use less energy on sourcing and processing new raw materials, it produces lower carbon emissions. It also keeps potentially methane-releasing waste out of sorting sites. Reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere is vital for stopping disastrous climate change.

2. Save Energy

Making products from recycled materials requires less energy than making them from new raw materials. Sometimes it's a huge difference in energy. For example:

• Producing aluminium from old products (including recycled cans and foil) uses 95% less energy than making it from scratch. For steel it's about a 70% energy saving.
• Making paper from pulped recycled paper uses 40% less energy than making it from virgin wood fibres.

• The amount of energy saved from recycling one glass bottle could power an old 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours and a new low-energy LED equivalent for a lot longer.

3. Protect ecosystems

Recycling reduces the need to grow, harvest or extract new raw materials from the Earth. That in turn lessens the harmful disruption and damage being done to the natural world: fewer forests cut down, rivers diverted, wild animals harmed or displaced, and less pollution of water, soil and air.

4. Keep materials in use for longer

Recycling keeps materials in use for longer by converting them into new products or raw materials. This process is part of the circular economy, which aims to eliminate waste and pollution, reuse and circulate materials and regenerate nature.