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Reduce, reuse, recycle!
Recycling and other waste reduction strategies reduce the amount of energy
used and greenhouse gas emitted in (1) extraction of virgin resources,
(2) decomposition of the first product, and (3) production of a new product.
According to the EPA, together,
waste prevention and recycling:
- Reduce
methane emissions from landfills. Waste prevention and recycling (including
composting) divert organic wastes from landfills, thereby reducing the
methane released when these materials decompose.
- Reduce
emissions from incinerators. Recycling and waste prevention allow some
materials to be diverted from incinerators and thus reduce greenhouse
gas emissions from the combustion of waste.
- Reduce
emissions from energy consumption. Recycling saves energy. Manufacturing
goods from recycled materials typically requires less energy than producing
goods from virgin materials. Waste prevention is even more effective
at saving energy. When people reuse things or when products are made
with less material, less energy is needed to extract, transport, and
process raw materials and to manufacture products. The payoff? When
energy demand decreases, fewer fossil fuels are burned and less carbon
dioxide is emitted to the atmosphere.
- Increase
storage of carbon in trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
and store it in wood, in a process called "carbon sequestration." Waste
prevention and recycling of paper products allow more trees to remain
standing in the forest, where they can continue to remove carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere.
Event Recycling
Program
Skagit County now offer event recycling
under Zero-Waste
Events
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