Recycling is the process of collecting and processing refuse and turning them into new products. It is an important part of a sustainable lifestyle as it helps to conserve resources and energy, as well as to protect our environment.
Firstly, recycling helps to conserve resources by converting used materials into new products, thereby reducing the use of raw materials from the environment. Next, using recycled materials in manufacturing process uses less energy than raw materials. Energy is saved since the extraction, refining, transport, and processing of raw materials are skipped. Recycled materials serve as ready-to-use materials for the industry. Lastly, recycling helps to protect our environment as it reduces the need for extracting natural resources, which reduces the pollutants often generated in the process. Saving energy by recycling often also leads to less greenhouse gas emission.
In the context of Singapore, the above-mentioned reasons for recycling are valid and critical. However, Singapore faces another major issue – land shortage – and recycling would help to reduce the space needed for landfills. By reprocessing refuse into new products, less waste would be sent to our landfill. Hence, I would be focusing on the pressing issue of saving our overflowing landfill through the government’s Zero Waste Plan.