Recycle garbage to save planet, beat high cost of living

Of the waste generated by cities, only 45 per cent is recycled, reused or transformed into a form that can yield economic or ecological benefits and environmental safety.

This is 35 per cent below the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) target of 80 per cent.

We have been so careless up to this point with the way we have treated the environment and the whole planet, and it's time to change the way we do things and the way we think. Failing to recycle garbage is a waste and it hampers economic development and contributes to budget constraints, promoting more borrowing from other nations. It also poisons our planet.

If we have to recycle garbage, then this is the time to. Due to the high cost of living and climate change campaigns, in our country, we should avoid improper misuse and unnecessary garbage disposal. Therefore, it's important to recycle in today's world if we want to leave the planet for future generations.

Some of the world's natural resources are in short supply, and when we recycle, we help conserve these natural resources. When we recycle paper, we save forests and trees therefore reducing greenhouse gas emissions and keeping landfill space free from either type of waste that can't be recycled. Paper is one of the easiest materials to recycle so it is really a no-brainer!

The world's supply of coal, gas and oil is finite, and the amount we have left is rapidly running out. It takes 70 per cent less energy to recycle than to produce new papers. The less energy taken to recycle reduces our carbon footprint and emissions. This helps minimise material waste from landfall sites which contributes to climate change, so we should choose to recycle whenever possible to eradicate climatic change.

Recycling can also contribute to job opportunities and savings. This will be a way to solve the youth's problems. Most of the youth across the country are lamenting unemployment, recycling garbage will be one of the frontline gates for youth's employment. The more we recycle, the more money we can save. Deposit returns can also help add financial incentives to recycle.

When we think of recycling, we should really think of the whole idea; reduce, reuse and recycle. When we produce less garbage, it helps give the land back to its nature hence solving the planet's crisis and helping beat the high cost of living coming as a result of climate change and poor natural resources.

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-- The author is a Journalism Student and a Computer Scientist at Rongo University