Informational Text - Worksheet 4

Every day, people around the world throw away millions of tons of trash. Much of this waste ends up in landfills, where it piles up year after year. But did you know that a large portion of what we throw away can actually be used again? Recycling is the process of collecting old materials and turning them into brand-new products. Instead of filling landfills with garbage, recycling gives materials a second life and helps keep our planet cleaner and healthier. The recycling process starts right at home. Families sort their trash into different colored bins, separating paper, plastic, glass, and metal into their own containers. This sorting step is important because each type of material needs to be recycled in a different way. Once the bins are full, recycling trucks pick them up on collection day and transport the materials to a local recycling center. Some communities have special drop-off locations where people can bring items like old electronics and batteries that need to be handled carefully. At the recycling center, workers and powerful machines sort the materials even more carefully. Magnets pull out metal items, air blowers separate light plastics from heavier glass, and workers remove any items that cannot be recycled. Once sorted, the materials go through a cleaning process to remove labels, food residue, and dirt. After cleaning, the materials are broken down into small pieces or shredded into tiny flakes. These pieces are then melted, pressed, or pulped into raw materials that factories purchase to manufacture new products. A recycled plastic bottle, for example, might become part of a fleece jacket, a park bench, or even a new bottle. Recycling provides enormous benefits for the environment. It saves energy, since manufacturing products from recycled materials requires far less power than creating them from scratch. For instance, making a new aluminum can from a recycled one uses ninety-five percent less energy. Recycling also conserves natural resources like trees, water, and minerals, and it reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfills. By making recycling a daily habit, every person, no matter how young, can play an important role in protecting the Earth for future generations.