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‘But why? But why?’ When you were 4 or 5 years old you probably bombarded anyone who would listen with this question! Being a Young Climate Warrior is about asking questions, and being curious. It’s RECYCLE WEEK 2024 (14th-20th October) But why? Why is it that we need to recycle things? How can it help us combat climate change … have a think and then check out some reasons given below.
Quick note! The TWO Rs - ‘REDUCING’ and ‘REUSING’ are still the most important ways of helping our planet – reducing levels of consumption and waste. However, moving towards a circular system of more ‘RECYCLING’ and ‘RE-CREATING’ is also essential. Glass, aluminium and copper can all be recycled indefinitely – in other words, they can be recycled over and over again - wow!! So they are really great things to recycle. Learn about how GLASS is recycled and how CANS are recycled.
What about ‘COPPER’ - Young Climate Warriors is supporting the ‘Great Cable Challenge’ this week. If every primary school pupil in the UK recycled just one cable, we could save over 22,000 kg of copper from going to waste! Copper is essential to our everyday lives - vital for our transport, clean energy, lifesaving medical equipment, our phones and our green future.
So … why do we recycle … what do you think? FIRSTLY to save raw materials. Glass, for example, is made from about 70% sand mixed with chemicals – to add sparkle, durability, or colour. All these components need to be mined, transported and processed in a laboratory – burning fossil fuels along the way. SECONDLY … have you ever thought about all the effort that goes into making one simple glass jar or tin can? Energy, often as electricity, is used to power the factories making these containers – burning more fossil fuels, making climate change worse.
Have you guessed the THIRD reason? - Recycling products saves them from going to landfill - being buried in the ground with other rubbish. Landfill sites are a key source of methane emissions. Methane is a really powerful gas – over 100 years its impact on climate change is 34 times worse than carbon dioxide.
Email hello@youngclimate warriors.org and tell us when you’ve completed this challenge. And keep being curious, keep up the ‘whys’!
