Recycling

I’m sure you all know how important recycling is. Recycling is when you take old or already used things and turn them into new things. It sounds like magic, but it’s actually very scientific. Do you know how it all works? The first thing you have to do is to collect items that can be recycled. Only certain materials can be recycled. These include things made out of paper, metal, cardboard, glass and plastic. Can you think of everyday items made out of these materials? Soda cans are a good example. They are made out of metal. Magazines and newspapers are made of paper. Cereal boxes are made of cardboard. Some bottles of juice are made out of glass. Bags and yoghurt containers are made out of plastic.

There are many things that can be recycled. These things are usually stamped with the recycling loop. It has 3 arrows that make a triangular shape. This shows that the cycle continues. Items are thrown away but continue their lives as something else.

Let’s get back to the process of recycling. Once you put all your items in a recycling bin, a truck comes to pick them up. Everything goes to a recycling plant. There, the materials get separated. They go into different piles. There are special machines that crush each pile together. The materials get squashed into square cubes. They are really heavy. You would need a forklift to carry them. Companies buy these cubes and turn them into new products. Now let’s take a closer look at how old paper is transformed. First the paper is torn into tiny pieces. Then a special kind of water with chemicals is poured onto it. The fibres start to stick together. In time, a brand-new roll of paper is created!

Recycling keeps our planet healthy. It reduces waste and also saves energy. You also can recycle yourself at home. You can save all the cans and aluminium containers and sell them to a local recycling centre; yes, cans for cash. Use glass jars as containers for the kitchen or the office. You can paint the bottles and use other materials to decorate them. Use empty water bottles as flower pots by just cutting off the bottoms. There are many amazing craft projects you can do with recycled material. You can have your part in saving the planet. Just remember the golden rule: always recycle your waste!