Polution

Pollution and Recycling
Every time virgin material has to be mined or extracted to create something new, a huge amount of pollution is created. Recycling helps to prevent or minimize the use of newraw materials, saving the pollution that accompanies it. Landfills, where the majority of trash ends up, are a prime source of land pollution and potential water and soil pollution. Recycling reducesthe amount of trash in landfills. There are other ways that recycling influences the amount of pollution in the environment.
1. Paper and Trees
* One ton of paper takes 17 trees to produceand takes up an 8 cubic foot space in a landfill, according to Oberlin College. Just one tree filters 60 pounds of pollution from the air annually. Recycling paper eliminates the need for these treesto be cut down, which helps improve the quality of our air. Since trees use carbon dioxide, there are less greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, which reduces the risk of global warming. This also savesroom in landfills and lessens the amount of land pollution made by landfills.
Air Pollution
* Other common recyclables, such as aluminum, glass and plastic, have a big impact on theenvironment when they are recycled. For example, Oberlin states that air pollution related to aluminum production is cut by 95 percent when recycled aluminum cans are used. One of the main by-products ofaluminum production is sulfur dioxide, which is an ingredient in acid rain.
Water Pollution
* Many hazardous substances are dumped into waters during the mining and manufacturing process. Papermills use chlorine to bleach wood pulp when making paper. Chlorine, when released in the water, is toxic to aquatic life. Acid mine drainage, which is the heavy metal runoff from the mining and refiningof metals, such as aluminum, iron to make steel, copper and tin contains elements that lead, mercury and cadmium. These metals are toxic to humans and animals alike, causing neurological damage and...