Let recycling and reusing be second nature

The earth is facing a mounting problem. The piling up of waste around the world has reached an alarming proportion. It pollutes the environment, has a negative effect on public health, and can even immerse countries in toxicity. A person on average generates over 2kg of trash every day — about 1.5 tonnes of solid waste per year. But since we do not see it most of the time, we are mostly oblivious to the problem. Because a well-planned country like the UAE removes waste so efficiently, and we do not pay a fee for the trash we generate, just like we pay for other utilities, we pay little attention to the quantity generated. But even the most efficiently run landfills can stress the environment. And getting a state-of-theart incinerator is no solution. The key lies in ensuring a change in behaviour so that people are encouraged to reuse and recycle.

Recycling benefits the community and the environment, for it ensures that materials that would otherwise be thrown away are turned into new products. This helps conserve valuable resources. Reducing the waste sent to landfills and incinerators will help prevent pollution and save energy. It also helps increase economic stability by utilising domestic materials. So, all is not lost. Remember, almost 70 per cent of our waste can be recycled. If stats can provide some respite, here are a few. Your aluminium can that has been thrown away will still remain a can 500 years later. Hence there is no limit to the number of times this can can be recycled. Recycling 100 cans can save enough energy to light your bedroom for two weeks. So do you want to waste or do you want to recycle it? Ras Al Khaimah has taken the lead by deciding to recycle 40 per cent of its waste in five years for which it has started to operate six recycling centres. Good for the emirate. Let’s make our homes good, too. So make recycling and reusing a habit.