Climate change is today the core concern of our society. The recycling industry is seen to be one of the main keys to significantly reducing its most devastating effects. By adding up the yields from industrialists and households, we achieve CO2 savings greater than the emissions from the aeronautical industry! 700 million tons of CO2 saved, who can still say it is of no interest? And at the same time the planet’s resources are protected.
It is in this context that the “Global Recycling Day 2018” came about, thanks to the Bureau of International Recycling. As it is by raising awareness among all those likely to have a real impact – big names, companies, governments and even individuals like you and me – that recycling can also contribute to the safeguard of our planet. It is interesting to note that in the United States recycling day has been around since…1994. At the time its purpose was to draw attention to products made from recycling. What if it was a source of genuine wealth, and we are not yet all aware of it? How then can we promote this method of “sparing” our planet?
Waste: a chance to make amends?
Doomed to be forgotten forever, the waste piled up so high in landfills we can no longer see the horizon… Old refrigerators, crushed plastic bottles, misshapen packaging boxes, car wrecks, telephones treasured then tossed aside or even cups, everything ends up in the same place as long as recycling is not a reflex. The Earth will continue to suffer from our excess consumption and its resources will be inexorably depleted.
It is to prevent this ecological disaster that Global Recycling Day was born. There is still time to change our habits, should we make the effort to raise awareness. We should learn to see waste as recyclable materials. Better yet, as resources! Let’s count on the fingers on both hands: water, air, coal, petrol, natural and minerals. Six. These are the six main resources of our planet. And what if we counted seven for recyclables to become part of available resources?
7 changes to consider for even more effective recycling
The leaders already have a small set of actions for making significant changes:
- By making a significant effort in terms of international legislation and agreements;
- By regularly promoting the implementation of efficient, free measures for entrusting our recyclables to ecological companies, anywhere in the world;
- By awakening minds to the urgency of using recycling;
- By creating a common language;
- By partnering with tangible actions which promote reuse of used materials thrown away by households and professionals;
- By inciting industries to plan for the end of life of their products from their design phase, for more efficient recycling;
- By supporting proposals and new approaches leading to more ecologically-healthy habits.
It is essential that the world powers take a different view of recycling practices. The weight of their actions shall necessarily have repercussions on companies and individuals.
Through its conferences and its beliefs and enthusiasm, Pollutec attempts to rejuvenate and boost the image of recycling, in order to convert as many people and organisations as possible.
