Why we separate waste collection : the benefits of separate waste collection and the use of recyclable materials.Separate waste collection is the basis for recycling . Recycling is a conversion process that transforms waste into new materials, objects or substances that are completely different from the original waste.
Separate waste collection offers a valid alternative to traditional waste disposal in landfills.
By recycling materials it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, make more efficient use of raw materials and resources such as energy and water .
Separate waste collection, benefits
The benefits associated with separate waste collection are many:
- environmental benefits (sharp reduction of polluting emissions, efficient use of resources*…)
- Benefits for the local community that carries out separate waste collection.
- Economic benefits ( we have a direct and indirect economic impact).
- *Efficient use of resources ( water saving, fossil fuel saving, raw material saving, electricity saving, etc.).
- Health benefits.
It would be better to talk about socio-economic benefits and socio-environmental benefits. In the next paragraphs we will try to explore some points.
Economic benefits of recycling
The economic benefits cannot be generalized because the recycled product is not always more economically sustainable than the one obtained by processing raw materials.
The economic benefits are found with the separate collection of plastic, aluminum, rare earths, paper, steel, copper, organic waste, wood, cork, metals, construction waste… The economic benefits linked to separate collection strictly depend on the degree of purity of the waste.
The economic benefits are less tangible for glass recycling but, for example, if we could differentiate the bottles by glass color, the economic return would be greater. The ground glass from brown beer bottles (dark orange) is more “expensive” and therefore recycling could have a non-negligible economic return. For glass collection , it is in Northern Italy that the highest virtuosity is recorded, also because the glass collected in Italy is often sent to nearby Switzerland to obtain a new life.
Other economic benefits of separate waste collection are indirect: creation of new jobs, opening of new factories and non-negligible capital movements. For example, plastic recycling in Italy generates a business of 700 million euros, with 2 thousand workers and over 300 companies involved.
As if the economic advantages just mentioned were not enough, there are also positive implications for communities that stand out for their greater virtuosity. The most recyclable municipalities are rewarded by the various consortia and by the State itself. If you are looking for reasons to push you to separate waste collection , know that in municipalities where separate waste collection is done well , the “garbage tax” is lower! Furthermore, the municipal coffers work better and local administrations will have more services to offer citizens.
Separate waste collection, why do it?
If the advantages presented so far have not been convincing enough and you are still wondering why you should recycle , just think about the impact of landfills on human health.
The alternative to separate waste collection is represented by traditional landfills with waste storage (sometimes even open-air or uncontrolled storage with production of leachate) or by incinerators.
Landfills and incinerators are waste disposal systems famous for their harmful impact on health. Separate waste collection should be done (and well!) only to avoid the environmental impact of waste.
Separate waste collection in Italy
In Italy, separate waste collection started very timidly. In 2009, the obligation for municipalities to separate recyclable waste from non-recyclable materials was established. This obligation should have started already in 2003.
A new law required that at least 65% of waste be separated by 2012, but this objective also failed and in 2013 the percentage of separate waste collection at a national level was only 42.3%.
