Energy Conservation through Recycling

Amongst the various initiatives towards a more energy sufficient future , an important one is Recycling of wastes.

Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing.

In a strict sense, recycling of a material would produce a fresh supply of the same material, for example used office paper to more office paper, or used foamed polystyrene to more polystyrene. However, this is often difficult or too expensive (compared with producing the same product from raw materials or other sources), so "recycling" of many products or materials involves their 'reuse' in producing different materials (e.g., paperboard) instead. Another form of recycling is the 'reduction' of certain materials from complex products, either due to their intrinsic value (e.g., lead from car batteries, or gold from computer components), or due to their hazardous nature (e.g., removal and reuse of mercury from various items).

There is some debate over the economic efficiency of recycling systems. Economic analysis of recycling also includes what economists call externalities, which are un-priced costs and benefits (reduced air pollution and greenhouse gases from incineration, reduced hazardous waste leaching from landfills, reduced energy consumption, and reduced waste and resource consumption etc) that accrue to individuals outside of private transactions. The debate however is on just how much energy is saved through recycling.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) states on its website that "a paper mill uses 40 percent less energy to make paper from recycled paper than it does to make paper from fresh lumber." Some other good examples of downstream energy savings outweighing the upstream collection of recyclable materials are in recycling metals. Aluminium is generally agreed to use far less energy when recycled rather than being produced from scratch. The EPA states that "recycling aluminum cans, for example, saves 95 percent of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source, bauxite.'The Truth About Recycling' (The Economist, 2007) lists down the following materials and the percentage of energy saved by recycling them.
1) Aluminum - 95%
2) Plastics - 70%
3) Steel - 60%
4) Paper - 40%
5) Glass - 30%

Critics often argue that in the overall processes, it can take more energy to produce recycled products than it does to dispose of them in traditional landfill methods. No doubt, it is difficult to determine the exact amount of energy consumed or produced in waste disposal processes because the quantum of energy used in recycling depends largely on the type of material being recycled and the process used to do so.

Some countries even trade in unprocessed recyclates, but there have been numerous complaints about the ultimate fate of recyclates sold to another country being unknown as these recyclates often end up in landfills instead of being reprocessed. There are reports of illegal-waste imports to China, where dismantling and subsequent recycling is done solely for monetary gain, without consideration for health of workers or environmental damage. Though the Chinese government has banned these practices, it has not been able to eradicate them.

An important aspect in 'Recycling' is waste management. Increasingly the authorities are promoting a multi step approach to waste management:
• The segregation of waste at the source
• Storage of waste at the source
• Primary collection (of wastes)
• Secondary collection
• Secondary transportation
• Composting
• Land fill.
If the waste is segregated at the source, it is easy to dispose off the waste in an environment friendly manner. Segregation saves time, energy and money.

Aside from the industrial and large scale applications of 'reduce-recycle-reuse' approach, even in our day to day lives, there are numerous opportunities through which we can significantly contribute to energy savings:
• Switching off of lights, electronic equipment, power appliances when not required (Even on standby mode, there's a continuous power wastage)
• Using cloth/jute bags instead of plastic bags.
• Encouraging foods made of jowar, bajra, instead of rice and not wasting food.
• Buying materials in bulk/without packing
• Using both sides of paper when writing.
• Using Mechanical pencils, ink refills (instead of buying new pens) and recycled paper folders/products
• Using copper bottomed stainless steel utensils
• Reducing wastage of water by turning off Taps showers etc (when not in use) , while brushing teeth and bathing
• Running washing machines only on full load
• Adopting Digital Cameras, LCD Monitors, LNG/CNG/electric vehicles
• Growing plants

The time has come when everyone has to be conscious about his contribution towards environment and optimal usage of scarce energy. Adopting healthy habits of Recycling and Conservation will not just help in reducing the massive gap in the supply and demand of energy but also create a more liveable environment for the future generations. The Key words are "Act Now!"