Recycling

Have you ever thought about the fact that most of what you own will one day be thrown out? Think about your clothes, the TV, and the stove. They will tear or break down. Or you may just want to get new, better things. But where do things go when you throw them out?

The bad news is that most of it goes to a landfill. A landfill is a big hole in the ground. It may have a concrete or plastic liner. This liner keeps chemicals from seeping into the groundwater around the landfill. Trash trucks filled with all the things that people throw out go to the landfill. They dump their loads into the hole. Bulldozers cover everything with soil. But there is a better way. And since we are running out of landfill space, more people are doing it.

The better way is recycling. Recycling lets many things be used again. Give away an old TV or stove. They can be fixed so that someone else can use them. Clothes can be sent to people who need them. Most glass, paper, plastic, and metal is recyclable. When people recycle these things, it helps the environment. It saves space in landfills. (Paper takes up more space in landfills than any other thing!) And instead of wasting these materials, they get used again.

Some people have recycle bins. They put their paper, metal, glass, and plastic into the bin. A special truck takes these things to a processing center. Other people must drive to a recycling center and drop off their things.

What happens at the recycling center? Paper is shredded and then mixed with water and wood pulp to make new paper. Glass, metal, and plastics are melted down. Then they are poured into molds to form new things. Glass jars are melted down and become new glass jars. Recycling lets things be used over and over.