Recycling is an activity that, even if it may not seem like it, has many years of history. Even so, it had always been done in situations of scarcity of some resource, such as paper, but it was not until the nineteenth century that recycling began to take on a bit of relevance. Since that time, but especially in the last three decades, both the world population and all the waste produced by it have increased in a disproportionate way, which is why recycling has also taken a very prominent role in our day-to-day life.
So, in this Green Ecologist article we will explain what recycling is and how important it is, in addition to making special mention of recycling that takes place in the green container, indicating which waste can be disposed of and which cannot. You want to know what can be recycled in the green bin? Read on and find out!
What is recycling and how important is it?
Recycling is a process that consists of obtaining a new raw material or product from the transformation of disused materials that are used in our daily lives, such as glass, paper, plastics or aluminum. This happens from a physicochemical or mechanical process, in which it is tried to reuse and extend the life cycle of a product. In this way, materials are saved and the environment also benefits, since it is being severely exploited by humans. Waste production has doubled in the last three decades, so planet Earth is becoming a huge garbage dump, and the simplest way to start reducing waste is recycling.
Recycling has a simple procedure. The first step is done from houses or industries, where the first classification is carried out (plastic, glass, paper, organic and waste). Subsequently public and private companies They are in charge of collecting this waste and transferring it to recycling plants. Once there is where a comprehensive waste separation, and from there they are classified according to the nature of each waste. Subsequently, depending on how these remains are classified, they will be transferred to the valuation plants, to the final recycling plants or to create energy in the biogas plants.
In summary, we can say that recycling has many benefits for the environment and for the management that humans do of our products, both those that are already used, and those that will be manufactured soon. In this way, the life cycle of many products is lengthened and the production of other new products is reduced, but there are also many other advantages, such as, for example, that it helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are mainly responsible for the global warming.
What can really be recycled in the green bin
In the green container it is specially intended for recycle glass containers. Thus, bottles of water, wine, spirits, juices and many other types of products can be deposited, as long as plastic, cork or metal stoppers are separated and are recycled in the corresponding containers. You can also deposit jars, such as perfumes, colognes or creams, and jars, such as preserves or jam.
Regarding the most common errors, the main one is that of confuse glass with crystal. This happens because they are very similar materials, but the big difference is that the crystal has a component called lead oxide, and this prevents both materials from being mixed and melted in the same furnace.
There is also a lot confusion when recycling light bulbs, mirrors, glasses, crockery or even ashtrays, since many people put them in the green container. Actually, these materials should be taken to a collection center or a clean point, which is a municipally owned controlled facility where a lot of household waste is collected free of charge.
In Spain there is a green container for every 213 inhabitants, where this type of recycling began to be carried out some thirty years ago. The first glass container was deposited in Barcelona in 1982, and it was the first recycling container that arrived in our country. The companies dedicated to this part of recycling have grown more than 200% since 1998. Currently Spain is one of the countries with the best ratio of containers.
How glass is recycled
This type of recycling is one of the simplest, since glass is a material that has some ideal characteristics to be reused. This is because you can recycle infinitely without losing any of its properties
Once glass containers have been collected, they are taken to the recycling plant, where an initial cleaning is carried out (labels and other non-glass elements are removed) and they are separated by type and color. Then all the material is crushed, transported and stored in the foundry factory. There a final cleaning is carried out and later the glass is transferred to an oven, where melts at high temperatures. Finally, the molten material is deposited in a molding machine where new glass containers take shape, such as bottles, light bulbs, jars, etc.
If you want to read more articles similar to What can be recycled in the green container, we recommend that you enter our Recycling and waste management category.
