Why should I recycle?

Following the three Rs — reduce, reuse, recycle — is not only a matter of legislation for many areas of Canada, but also a matter of economy. Between 50 to 70 percent of garbage dumped into landfills such as personal computers, excess food and other household items could have been recycled, which would extend the life of landfills at least another 20 to 25 years. Also, making recycled products requires less energy (up to 55 percent less for paper, 33 percent less for glass, 90 percent less for aluminum) than starting from scratch. Recycling is also an issue of environmental ethics. Not only do landfills cost the municipality roughly C$210,000 per hectare, but they emit a quarter of methane — potent greenhouse gases — caused by human activity in Canada. This is the equivalent of 40 percent of all the passenger vehicles driven in Canada per year.