Pros & Cons of Recycling Plastic Bottles

Recycling plastic bottles is most beneficial when reusing them. There are also negative aspects to plastic recycling, because much of it must be of a certain type in order to even go through the recycling process. The benefits of recycling outweigh the disadvantages though. The main positive result of recycling plastic bottles is that it makes the planet ecologically healthier; the negative results pale in comparison.

Waste Diminishment

• Since most plastic bottles are recyclable, they should never be thrown away. This would cause them to end up in landfills, which are just mountains of garbage that pollute the soil of the earth. Reusing or recycling plastic lowers the amount of garbage in landfills. A negative aspect of avoiding garbage cans is personal inconvenience. Most streets and businesses have plenty of garbage cans, but not as many recycling bins. Recycling may mean you have to hang on to an empty plastic bottle for longer than you'd like.

Environmental Health

• If plastic bottles aren't recycled, they could end up in streams or areas where animals live (especially if littered). This will make natural environments ugly and cluttered. Plastic takes about 100 years to decompose, which rapidly mutiplies the planet's amount of trash. The only negative aspect on environmental health results from reusing a single plastic bottle too many times. Some plastics are designed for brief use, and reusing a plastic bottle over and over again can cause the bottle to break down as you use it, possibly causing a personal health risk.

Economy

• The more people recycle, the greater the demand becomes for jobs in recycling plants and programs. With more jobs comes greater economic stimulation. Unfortunately, recycling plants may harm the environment in other ways. If there are more jobs and larger plants, that could mean more employees driving to the plants. If more employees were to ride bicycles to their jobs at recycling plants, they would decrease overall car emissions.