Pros
Recycling reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfill and consequently the amount of pollution in the environment.
Recycling is one of the most recognisable processes to consumers and end users. Using recycled materials sends a simple and relatable message to the audience. It also creates awareness and demand for more comprehensive recycling facilities.
Promoting recycling can act as a gateway for the consumer to other environmental activism such as composting or installing solar panels.
The fact a product is recyclable suggests to the recipient that it has been thought about and its environmental impact been considered.
Recycled and/or Recycla
Products can contain recycled metals, plastics, paper or post-consumer waste. Some weird and wonderful examples include cocoa shells, tea leaves, egg shells, orange peel, waste beer and wine and even discarded Recyclable products can be returned to a specialist so that the materials can be reclaimed and used aguthorities have compressive recycling facilities where a multitude of materials are accepted.
Cons
The term “recycled” is open to some interpretation. Some products may contain materials that are
“pre-consumer”. Others may only contain a low percentage of
recycled material.
Recycling isn’t always a perfect solution. Recycling PET releases volatile organic compounds into the environment. Bleaching paper uses harmful chemicals. Kerbside collection, sorting, cleaning and processing waste results in water,
soil and air pollution.
Sometimes products that claim to be recyclable contain parts that are not. For example a pen body might be, but the spring mechanism may not.
According to the BBC 47% of people have argued at home about what should and should not go in the plastic recycling. The point is, of the 7 plastic groups, only 3 are commonly recyclable.
