What Environmental Problems Does a Lack of Recycling Create?

Recycling is an important way to ensure that the Earth's landfills stop overfilling and that natural resources are not drained from overconsumption of non-renewable materials. Without a recycling program, the environment would suffer from pollution and stress upon natural resources.

Landfills

• One important part of recycling is the fact that it keeps unnecessary waste from entering and filling up landfills. When landfills become overfilled, the land surround it can be affected by gases created by rotting material, such as carbon dioxide and methane. Leachate, a toxic liquid, is the product of compressed liquids in landfills and has the potential to cause serious damage to the surrounding land and water tables.

Stress on Natural Resources

• When recyclables are not recycled properly, the demand for natural resources rises due to the shortage of incoming recyclable materials. Recycled materials, such as glass, aluminum and plastics, can be recovered and turned into a completely new product. For example, recycled glass bottles can be used to make new glass bottles, and a recycled plastic bottle can be used in the production of fleece. When we do not recycle, natural resources are used in greater numbers, causing environmental damage such as pollution.

Electronic Waste

• Throwing away used electronic devices such as computers and televisions is both illegal and highly damaging to the environment. If electronics are not recycled, poisonous chemicals can leech into groundwater and contaminate a large amount of drinking water in the affected area. Most electronics contain lead, hexavalent chromium, plastics and flame retardants that can negatively impact human and environmental health significantly. (reference 2)

Steel

• In 2001, the steel industry managed to recycle more than 60 percent of steel scrap from cans, automobiles, appliances and construction material. If we did not organize our scrap steel, 60 percent of recycled steel from cans would disappear, 89.7 percent of steel from appliances would disappear and 96 percent of the steel used to form structural beams for buildings would be gone. Without this recycled steel, these items would require new steel to be produced from natural resources.