Photo courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Recycling helps us use materials over and over again. But some of those materials lose their desirable characteristics and eventually must be discarded. Recycling still consumes energy and natural resources and creates pollution -- although generally less than using and disposing of virgin materials.

It takes time, energy, labor, and money to make new products from recycled ones. Right now it's often easier or cheaper for manufacturers to use virgin rather than recycled materials to make things.

For recycling to be worthwhile, manufacturers need:

• the technology to make new products from recycled materials
• high quality recovered materials that meet manufacturers' specifications
• a steady supply of recovered materials
• affordable materials
• customers to buy products that contain recycled materials

Separating glass jars, aluminum cans, and newspapers and setting them by the curb or taking them to a recycling center is only part of the recycling process. To complete the recycling loop, those cans, papers, and bottles must be remade into new products that you buy and use.

The most commonly recycled materials are aluminum, paper, glass, and plastic. But how much of these materials do we recycle?

Recycling won't solve all our garbage problems. Reducing our consumption is still the best option.

Activities: Recycled Art Project
Profiles: Montshire Museum of Science, Guy Polhemus and We Can, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, and U.S. National Park Service