Recycling - A process to change waste materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials,

reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage.

History on Recycling

During the pre-industrial times, there is evidence of scrap bronze and other metals being collected in Europe and melted
down for perpetual reuse.

In Britain dust and ash from wood and coal fires was collected by 'dustmen' and down cycled as a base material used in
brick making.

War time– during World War II recycling was a highlight throughout World War II. Taking scrap metal and turning it
into materials for the military like guns, tanks, planes and bullets.

Post–War - Recycling occurred in the 1970s, due to rising energy costs. Recycling started to show that less energy was
used compared from producing from virgin materials.

FACTS on RECYCLING
PETS
 Five plastic bottles (PET) recycled provides enough fiber to create one square feet of carpet or enough fiber fill to
fill one ski jacket.
 Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
 Recycling one ton of plastic bottles saves the equivalent energy usage of a two person household for one year.
CANS
 The average person has the opportunity to recycle more than 25,000 cans in a lifetime.
 Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours.
 It requires 95% less energy and water to recycle a can than it does to create a can from virgin materials.
 Aluminium cans can actually be recycled and put back onto the shelf at your local grocery store in just about 2
months.
PAPER
 Making paper from recycled paper reduces the related contribution to air pollution 95%.
 Recycling a stack of newspaper just 3 feet high saves one tree.
 More than 37% of the fiber used to make new paper products in the U.S. comes from recycled sources.
GLASS
 Glass can be recycled and re-manufactured an infinite amount of times and never wear out.
 Making glass from recycled material cuts related water pollution by 50%.
 Recycling just one glass jar saves enough electricity to light an 11 watt CFL bulb for 20 hours
 More than 28 billion glass bottles and jars end up in landfills every year -- that is the equivalent of filling up two
Empire State Buildings every three weeks.
Food Waste
 Food waste can be used for composting and sold to farmers or it can be provided as a food source for local animal
farms that meet federal, state and local regulations for food scrap usage.

General Facts
 The average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year.
 Over 75% of waste is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.
 We generate 21.5 million tons of food waste each year. If we composted that food, it would reduce the same
amount of greenhouse gas as taking 2 million cars off the road.

Benefits of Recycling
 Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators.
 Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals.
 Prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials.
 Saves energy.
 Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.
 Helps sustain the environment for future generations.
 Helps create new well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States.

RA 9003

Recycling Program
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in coordination with other concerned agencies, is directed to
publish an inventory of existing markets for recyclable materials, product standards for recyclable and recycled materials,
and a proposal to stimulate demand for the production of recycled materials and products. Moreover, a coding system for
eco-labeling is expected from DTI. Non-environmentally acceptable products shall be allowed within one (1) year after
public notice as alternatives available to consumers but at cost not exceeding ten (10) percent of the disposable product.
The use of non-environmentally acceptable packaging is strictly prohibited by the Act.LGUs are mandated to establish
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in each barangay or cluster of barangays designed to receive, sort, process and store
compostable and recyclable materials efficiently. The residual wastes shall then be transferred to a long-term storage or
disposal facility or sanitary landfill. All solid waste disposal facilities or sites in the country shall be published by the
Department of Natural Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). No open dumps nor any practice or disposal of solid
waste that constitutes open dumps for solid waste shall be allowed. The Act further provides for conversion of existing
open dumps to controlled dumps within three (3) years.

25% of materials are required by law to be recovered by MRFs.

Does Recycling Work? – there are skeptical people saying that recycling is a waste of time and energy and try to prove
that recycling is not worth it. Below are some myths on recycling that try and prove that recycling is a waste of time.
These myths are said to be untrue. Although in certain countries with insufficient MRF systems and where little regard
and practice for recycling goes on, theses myths are proven to be true.

Myths on recycling
 All the trash gets mixed up and put in the landfill
 Uses more energy than producing something from raw material
 Doesn’t get recycled if the material is not clean.

Recycling has grown out of solid waste and solid waste is a local issue. Each community deals with their waste in their
own way. The reason why people don’t know what to do with their wastes is because each community does something
different.
  Recycling makes economic and energy sense.
 Studies have shown that recycling is totally beneficial and does not waste energy.
 It is more expensive to landfill than it is to recycle. Only non-recyclables should be landfilled.
 Recycling avoids disposal costs. It takes money to throw away waste.
 Any material that is recycled saves energy, time, resources and money.
 Recycling can be made into a business

Zhang Yin - Richest Woman in China. She is worth 4 billion dollars. She made her money by taking scrap paper from the
US converting it into cardboard and selling it back to the US.

What Prevents Recycling?

Quantity - There is not enough recyclables produced by the house hold stream. If it is in a large quantity or mass you are
more likely to get it recycled. Money can be made in large quantities of recyclable materials. The problem is that there is
no incentive for companies or manufactures to create products that have design for recyclability in mind. The problem
also lies in trying to find political and social will to recycle instead of financial purposes. More can be recycled when the
environmental impact of it is taken more seriously.

Do You Need IT ?

 People feel that if they can’t do everything at once they won’t do anything at all. – this is wrong.
 Do one little thing, at least find one little thing to recycle a day.

Sustainability – recycling is related to sustainability because of recycling’s capability to repeated be used or have
materials transformed into other uses. Below are some points and examples of recycling being used in a sustainable way.
 There is no such thing as waste
 Nature doesn’t waste and neither should we.
 People are finding ways on how to live more sustainably in their own local area without using up so much
resources.

Urban Farming. - Urban Farms help create jobs and make use of valuable land in prime locations. They take something
that has value and use it to create something else of equal or higher value. Urban Farms are also an alternative option
when the economy is in not a good state of quality.

Urban farms are set up in vacant lots with in a city. This allows the production to be very close to its demand and cuts
down on logistic costs and time. Produce becomes closer to the consumer and in good quality.

Use of recycling
 Once you recognize that the dominant economy does not work for all people you start looking for alternatives. –
this is when recycling kicks in and shows how useful it can be.
 Recycling is a great job creator and is flexible to the extent of your imagination.

Loop System - Waste is found a way on how to be introduced back into its origin system or into another system. This
system takes waste out of a linear system where there is an end and waste is no longer recycled.

Recycled Buildings - Buildings are recycled and given new purposes. Some buildings are made into indoor farms and
have the bi-products from the farm power the energy needs of the building making it a sustainable process.

Aquaponics - is the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture.

In Aquaponics, fish create nutrients that supply the plants for growth. The nutrient is nitrogen that is in the form of
ammonium NH4. The plants then filter out the nutrients through absorption, this process cleans the water for the fish and
the clean water is cycled back to the fish where the process repeats itself.

Brewery - Breweries create a lot of waste and this waste can be used to generate energy. In a recycled building both
aquaponics and brewery can be in the same location giving the building a double purpose. Food waste along with waste
from a brewery can be placed into and anaerobic digester.

Anaerobic Digester

Products of an Anaerobic Digester

 The waste is broken down inside the chamber by anaerobic bacteria the bi-products are harvested.
 Solids = fertilizer
 Liquid = fertilizer
 Gas = Biogas turbine generator = energy

The energy produced can be used to power a building. The waste from production is used to power the instruments that
help the production of more waste making the process an energy efficient cycle.

Reusing buildings makes sense because you don’t have to go through the process of deconstruction and construction of
something new.

The indoor farms today are examples for others to replicate.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

 Reduce – ask yourself if you really need to buy something that you actually don’t really need.
 Reuse – there are probably materials near you that can serve that same purpose of something brand new.
 Recycle – materials always have more than one purpose so use them to their full potential.

Recycling tries to articulate a new philosophy of being more responsible. With these three steps you can become more
efficient with how you live and manage your consumption to minimize the waste that you produce.