Waste Recycling: Definition and Benefits

What is Waste Recycling?

In simple terms, recycling is an effort made by humans to manage the waste they produce. In fact, recycling (recycle) is not the best solution to overcome the problem of increasingly abundant waste. However, recycling plastic waste and other types of waste can help reduce waste that pollutes the environment.

The process of waste recycling is a useful activity that can be done individually or in groups. If recycling is carried out more intensively, the amount of waste in the environment will decrease.

However, don’t forget that waste recycling is the last tier of the 6R pyramid in zero waste concept. There are 6 steps that should be taken to be free from waste problems based on this concept, which are as follows.

• Rethink: think carefully before buying an item. Try to buy things based on needs, not wants. It would be even better if you prioritize recycled products.
• Refuse: refuse the use of single-use items, such as water in plastic bottles, styrofoam, and plastic bags.
• Reduce: reduce the use of goods that risk causing environmental pollution. For example, consuming drinking water in plastic bottles or using plastic bags when shopping.
• Reuse: reuse items that are still useful, for example, using cloth bags for shopping or trying to mix and match old clothes so you don’t buy new clothes too often.
• Repair: repair damaged goods before deciding to replace them with new ones.
• Recycle: to recycle as an effort to reduce waste while increasing the use value and or economic value of an item.

Benefits of waste recycling

Some of the benefits that can be obtained from consistent waste recycling activities are as follows.

• Help reduce the amount of waste in the Final Disposal Site (TPA) so that the waste management process takes place more easily. It is undeniable that the amount of waste that overflows often exceeds the capacity of the TPA so that it pollutes other surrounding areas, such as roads, rivers, and the sea.
• Support the maximum conservation of natural resources. One concrete example is the recycling of paper waste to produce new types of paper with high use and economic value. These efforts can reduce the amount of wood that is cut down for paper raw materials. If logging in the forest is not carried out excessively, the habitat of wildlife will be maintained and the availability of groundwater will remain abundant.
• Maximizing energy saving effort because the manufacture of new products that require a lot of energy is decreasing. Instead, there are recycled products whose uses are the same as new products, but the manufacturing process is more energy efficient.
• Reducing the intensity of incineration (burning the material completely and leaving ash). In the past, waste burning was considered as one of the most effective ways to deal with the increasing amount of waste. In fact, burning garbage can actually cause new problems in the form of toxic gases that pollute the air. Recycling actions that are carried out with the right process now reduce the intensity of burning waste.
• Addressing the problem of climate change caused by emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide or CO2). The decomposition of organic waste produces carbon dioxide in the air, which then forms methane gas. The accumulation of these two substances can cause a greenhouse effect because it forms a new layer in the atmosphere that traps heat from the sun so that the earth’s temperature increases. Therefore, recycling of organic waste should be done consistently in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate disturbances.
• Increase the creativity of all levels of society in managing recyclable waste. For example, corporate companies are motivated to set up packaging recycling factories and the general public takes the initiative to process waste into ready-to-use household products.
• Improving the welfare of people’s lives because economic activities run smoothly. The recycled products of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) can be resold and packaging recycling factories can absorb a lot of labor.
• Minimize the risk of spreading disease due to microorganisms contained in organic waste.
• Maintain the cleanliness and beauty of the environment because the accumulation of garbage is decreasing.

Get to know the various types of waste that can be recycled

The first thing you have to do if you want to start waste recycling is to know the different types of waste first. The types of waste that can be recycled are as follows.

• Organic trash: for example, leaves and tree branches as well as the rest of vegetables, fruits, and leftover food that is starting to go stale.

• inorganic waste: takes a very long time to completely decompose with the following details:
  • Plastic waste: derived from food packaging or other goods, especially the packaging process of products that are traded online on line. This amount of waste continues to soar, so it must receive special attention through efforts to recycle plastic waste that is increasingly aggressive. There are seven types of plastic waste that can be recycled, namely: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PeT), Polypropylene (PP), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), and coated plastic which is the result of a combination of several types of plastic (e.g. Gallons and baby bottles).

  • Paper trash: comes from various sources such as print media (newspapers, magazines, and tabloids), letters, documents hardcopy, and packaging of goods.

  • Metal trash: In addition to food and beverage packaging cans, other types of metal waste come from electronic waste, household furniture, and building and ship construction materials.

  • Glass trash: sourced from beverage and food packaging as well as construction material scraps. Besides being harmful to the environment, glass waste that is thrown carelessly is also at risk of causing injury if stepped on by humans.

Waste Recycling Process for Reusability

Each type of waste must go through a different recycling process until it can be reused. The stages of waste recycling by type, namely:

Recycling organic waste

One of the most popular and practical ways of recycling organic waste is to process it into compost. All you have to do is prepare a large bucket with all sides of which have been hollowed out to reduce unpleasant odors when compost is formed.

Then, put all the organic waste and then give a few handfuls of soil and mix thoroughly. Repeat the soil application once a week and then wait for 2 to 3 months until the compost is ready for use.

Recycling plastic waste

The process of processing plastic waste begins with sorting based on the plastic material, color, resin content, and how it is made. Furthermore, the plastic waste is washed clean and then cut into small fragments so that it is easier to process (resizing).

Plastic flakes will be grouped based on their density and then melted into plastic pellets (pellets). Finally, plastic pellets will be processed directly into new plastic goods or distributed to various industrial sectors as the basic material for other plastic products.

Recycling paper waste

Almost the same as recycling plastic waste, the paper recycling process begins with sorting by paper type. Each type of paper has a different amount of fiber so it must be carefully grouped.

In addition, the sorting process is also carried out based on the surface and the structure of the paper. The paper will then be shredded until smooth (shredding) and then processed into pulp by adding various ingredients, such as hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide, and sodium silicate so that the paper fibers separate.

The pulp also goes through a special process to remove the coloring matter and ink that is still contained in it. When all these processes are complete, the pulp must go through a roll component to reduce its moisture content so that it can be printed in large sheets of paper.

Recycle metal waste

Sorting metal waste can be done by utilizing magnets or observing the color and weight to identify the type of metal. After the sorting is complete, the metal will be smoothed into small fragments to make it easier to melt.

The process of smelting metals in a recycled circuit requires less energy than producing metals using pure materials.

When the smelting process is complete, the metal liquid must go through a purification process with the principle of electrolysis before being compacted and cut into pieces to make it easier to process into various products.

Recycled glass waste

The glass to be recycled should be grouped by its color. After being sorted, washed, and crushed, the glass will be melted into a material called cullet.

Besides being sold at an affordable price compared to pure glass, cullet can also melt at lower temperatures so that it effectively saves energy when making new products.

The process of making a recycled glass from cullet materials requires a variety of other mixed materials, such as limestone, sand, and soda ash.

Examples of Recycled Products

Today, more and more recycled products can be used in everyday life. Some examples of recycled products that are useful and easy to find include:

• Processed organic waste products such as compost and animal feed.
• Various crafts from plastic waste, such as bags, umbrellas, mats, home décor ornaments, and plant pots.
• Recycled paper.
• Furniture from wood or recycled plastic.
• Recycled plastic packaging.

Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t had time to recycle independently to support environmental conservation efforts. Concern for the environment can be realized from small things, one of which is buying environmentally friendly products.