How You Can Close the Recycling Loop

Last updated 7 months ago

You may be familiar with the phrase, "reduce, recycle, reuse, and close the loop." The recycling symbol itself is made of three arrows that form into a closed circuit, and this represents three steps to the recycling process. The first step is the collection of recyclable materials, followed by the processing and manufacturing of new products from recycled materials. The final step is the purchasing of products made from recycled content.

There are two ways that people can contribute to this process. By being an integral part of beginning and ending of the recycling loop, you can help your household or business become more sustainable, greener, and greatly reduce waste.

Collecting Recyclable Materials

The first part of the loop is vital to the rest of the process. Familiarize yourself with what is recyclable in your community, and advocate for the collection of these materials. This can be as simple as using a recycling bin at your household to collect aluminum cans, plastic bottles, newspapers, and more. You may decide to encourage your place of business to collect and pre-sort similar materials.

Recycling, Not Trashing

The next step is to contact a recycling service. These services are often offered in connection with waste management and composting companies. By merging your trash collection and recycling, you can help reduce the carbon produced in the collection of your items, which is just another way to go green.

Purchasing Post-Consumer Content

You can participate in the final part of the recycling loop by focusing many of your purchases on products that use recycled content. This includes recycled paper products, plastic made from post-consumer content, and more. For example, aluminum is one of the most-recyclable materials in the world today. By purchasing aluminum and then recycling it responsibly, you are doing your part to close the loop.

Western Disposal proudly serves Boulder Colorado with wide-spectrum recycling, waste management, and trash collection services. Visit us online to learn what we can do for your home or company, or contact us at (303) 586-1100 and let us help you recycle responsibly.