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South Africa: The ‘recycling evangelists’ | Global Ideas

 

Recycling also helps reduce the level of contamination of hazardous chemicals and components, which are often found in old computers, cellular phones, toys, TV monitors and other electronic products. Old computer monitors for example contain as much as eight pounds of lead. Once these harmful substances leach into the soil and underground water, they further spread and contaminate streams, rivers, and water wells, and also taint the fish and other seafood we consume. Hazardous Waste Cannot Be Disposed By Conventional Means Hazardous wastes come in different physical states, from liquid, solid, gaseous and others. These types of wastes cannot simply be disposed through conventional garbage disposal methods, and depending on their physical composition, a specialized treatment or disposal process may need to be done. Today, most cities and towns have recycling facilities, where residents drop off their recyclable items at collection facilities, and the plastics are sorted, cleaned, as well as reprocessed into new materials. However, unlike materials such as aluminum, which can easily be mixed with other aluminum variants, there are different types of plastic, with each carrying a resin identification code. How Used Car Tires Are Recycled Today With the advent of more advanced technology, old tires can now safely be disposed and recycled. It s estimated that around 1.3 billion tires are sold each year worldwide. While before only ten percent of discarded tires were actually recycled today more than eighty percent of used tires today now make their way into a recycling facility. Find out if your community has programs or facilities for recycling this type of plastic bottles, since some areas don t have facilities for recycling certain types of plastic. Before you bring your plastic bottles to the local recycling facility, wash or rinse them first. Repeat the process until the insides of the bottles are empty and clean, and don t smell anymore. While the thought of using recycled water may be offensive to some, recycled water actually has a lot of uses. It can be used for watering wetlands, crops, as well as for other industrial uses. If properly treated, recycled water can actually be used again as drinking water. Reusing or recycling water means that you re saving money on your water bills, because you re using less of it, and also means that you re actually using less fresh water for watering your lawn, washing your car and washing your clothes, plates and other items. 

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