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Waste Management: Recycling
in Idaho
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| What is Recycling? |
| Recycling is the process
of transforming waste materials into usable resources. Recycling is
one of several options to manage wastes. Other options include eliminating
or reducing the generation of waste or reusing an item prior to recycling. |
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| Why Recycle? |
| Recycling is preferable
to treatment and disposal because it helps conserve energy and reduce
waste. Much less energy is needed to make recycled materials into
new products than is needed with new, "virgin" raw materials.
Recycling also helps conserve natural resources and prevent pollution.
Manufacturing using recycled materials is usually much cleaner than
manufacturing products from new resources. Recycling also helps avoid
the costs of disposing of waste in landfills or incinerators and creates
jobs in areas where reprocessing facilities are located. |
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| How Does Recycling
Work? |
| At its best, recycling is a five-stage, closed-loop process, beginning with the purchase of recycled or recyclable products. After the products are used, they are collected for recycling, prepared for shipping, shipped to market, and finally reprocessed into new products or materials. The new products are then available to be purchased and used to continue the cycle. |
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| What Determines Which
Products Can Be Recycled? |
Like any other enterprise,
recycling is a business. To survive, it must be profitable for those
who own and run the business. Also, like any other business, recycling
depends upon supply and demand. Often, supply and demand of recyclable
materials are out-of-sync in today’s world economy, which results
in volatile markets and unstable prices for recyclable materials.
Recycling in Idaho is limited by its geographic isolation from reprocessing
facilities and markets. Recyclable materials must be shipped long
distances, which can be very costly, especially for heavy materials
like glass. Collection and transportation costs can outweigh the value
of the recyclable materials.
Recycling in Idaho is also limited by the relatively low cost of disposal.
In states where landfill space is limited and disposal costs are high,
the economic incentive to recycle is strong because it is often cheaper
than throwing products away. Traditionally, Idaho has benefited from
ample landfill space, which has kept disposal costs low. As a result,
it is often cheaper to dispose of products than to recycle them. During
the 1990s, many smaller landfills were closed because of new, more
stringent environmental standards developed by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). Despite fewer landfills, disposal fees have
remained low compared to neighboring states. As existing landfills
fill up, however, it will be necessary to build new landfills, which
are very expensive to construct. Higher disposal fees will be needed
to cover the cost of building new landfills, which may tip the economic
incentive to recycling and pollution prevention. |
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| Who Is in Charge
of Recycling in Idaho? |
| Recycling, like garbage
collection in Idaho, is an optional service provided at the discretion
of local governments or by private recycling companies. Although the
state has no mandated waste diversion goal, pollution prevention and
recycling are supported and encouraged through public education and
outreach activities conducted by DEQ. |
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