Why to Recycle Plastic Water Bottles
Plastic water bottles are a lightweight and convenient way to carry water with you while you are at work, running errands, exercising at the gym or doing any other every day activities. Approximately 2.2 billion plastic bottles are recycled a year, which is about 24 percent of all purchased plastic bottles. There are, however, several reasons why recycling plastic water bottles should be closer to 100 percent.
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Recycling Plastic Bottles
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To recycle plastic bottles, you only need to wash them. In some places, you might also need to separate the plastic bottles from other plastic waste. Your recycling facility can be either a curbside program or recycling center in your community, and over 80 percent of U.S. households have access to plastic recycling facility. In many areas, the demand for recycled plastic actually exceeds the available supply.
Reusable Items
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Recycled plastic can be many other products we use every day. It takes 25 large soda bottles to make an adult-size fleece jacket. Recycled plastic from water bottles is used to make carpeting, sleeping bag filling, lumber for outdoor decking and detergent bottles.
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Business Opportunities
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Recycling also offers new business and green job opportunities. The number of U.S. recycling businesses has almost tripled during the past few years, and new business ideas for post-consumer plastics are born every day. More than 1,600 businesses are using post-consumer plastics to make their products. In addition, new careers are blossoming because of plastic recycling, and universities are offering educational programs to support the need for professionals who have the skills to make recycled plastic into useful products.
Environment
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Oil is used to make plastic, so recycling plastic bottles saves nonrenewable fossil fuels. You can save about 3.8 barrels of oil by recycling one ton of plastic bottles. Plastic bottles are also taking a lot of space in landfills and because they don't decompose, they will stay in landfills for centuries. Recycling plastic bottles reduces the solid waste going to the landfills and delays or even eliminates the need to build new landfills.
Money
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Plastic bottles are redeemable for cash in many recycling facilities. Getting 5 cents or more per bottle might not seem like much, but if you have enough bottles, the cash value accumulates. You will not get rich by recycling plastic bottles, but you can get enough money to buy some necessary household items. If you are a student or someone living with roommates, using money from recycling can be a way to avoid unnecessary arguments about who should spend money on items everyone uses or getting multiple quantities of the same item.
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