Mandatory recycling laws require recycling to reduce waste and pollution. Recycling conserves resources and generates jobs. It saves money on waste disposal and prevents diseases from unsanitary environments. Common recycled items include glass, paper, plastic and aluminum. Recycling these materials reduces emissions, saves energy, and creates valuable manufacturing resources compared to using raw materials. For example, recycling one ton of plastic saves up to 2000 gallons of gasoline. Mandatory recycling thus improves the environment, economy and sustainability.

1. Pros of
Mandatory
Recycling
By Natassia McCree

2. What is recycling??
Recycling - Is when you put things like glass,plastic,paper/cardboard into different
colored bins to be turned into something new (ex. Cardboard can be turned into a
new cereal box.)
Without exception, recycling is the top action society can do to simultaneously improve:
the environment, the economy, sustainable manufacturing and to prevent waste from
going into oceans.
Recycling conserves finite natural resources - this is critical as ​population continues to
grow exponentially.

3. Reason why it’s good to have
mandatory recycling laws
Mandatory Recycling Laws are meant for keeping the environment clean and ultimately
to reduce the global warming
Mandatory Recycling Laws help to save money that is spent for disposing trash and
other waste materials.
By implementing mandatory recycling laws, environment pollution and the volume of
garbage is reduced.
People following mandatory recycling programs are less susceptible to diseases caused
by unclean environment.

4. How can recycling improve everyday life??
Recycling conserves fresh water up to 95% in the mining and manufacturing process for
many materials.
Recycling generates 7-10 more jobs than landfills and waste to energy plants.
Recycling properly creates valuable resources for U.S. manufacturing and can become a
highly valuable export to countries such as China and India.
​​Protects forests which help to reduce CO2 emissions
Significantly reduces use of fossil fuel energy and reduces CO2 emissions

5. Things that are usually recycled
The main groups that are usually being recycled are
Glass
Paper and Cardboard
Plastic
Aluminium

6. Glass
Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss
in quality or purity.
Glass is made from readily-available domestic materials, such as
sand, soda ash, limestone and “cullet,” the industry term for
furnace-ready recycled glass.
Recycled glass can be substituted for up to 95% of raw materials.
Manufacturers benefit from recycling in several ways: Recycled
glass reduces emissions and consumption of raw materials,
extends the life of plant equipment, such as furnaces, and saves
energy.

7. Paper and Cardboard
A typical office generates about one pound of paper per employee
and that from that paper, 77 percent of what is wasted in offices
across the country is recyclable.
Most of the paper wasted is high grade paper.
Using old paper to make new paper uses 30 to 50 percent less
energy than making paper from trees.
Corrugated cardboard is created into new cardboard and cereal
boxes.

8. Plastic
Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour! Most of them
are thrown away!
Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an
incinerator.
Only around 27% of plastic bottles are recycled
66% of energy is saved when producing new plastic products from
recycled materials instead of raw (virgin) materials.
Recycling one ton of plastic saves the equivalent of 1,000–2,000
gallons of gasoline.

9. Aluminum
About 65 % of America's aluminum is currently recycled
Every minute an average of 123,097 aluminum cans are recycled.
On average, Americans recycle 2 out of every 3 aluminum cans they
use.
The average aluminum can contains more than 50% post-consumer
recycled aluminum.
Twenty years ago, it took 19 aluminum cans to make one pound, but
today's aluminum cans are lighter and it now takes 29 cans to
make a pound! That means less aluminum is wasted, saving energy
and other environmental resources!

10. Resource page
1. general-law.knoji.com/mandatory-recycling-laws-pros-and-cons/
2. http://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/recycling-facts
3. http://www.slideshare.npoint-14435776et/kramertw/recycling-power
4. http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Facts_About_Recycling_Paper
5. http://www.gpi.org/recycling/glass-recycling-facts
6. http://www.mrcpolymers.com/PlasticRecyclingFacts.php
7. www.lehighcounty.org/Departments/Solid-Waste-Management/Recycling-
Facts/Aluminum