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When many people think of the steps they can take to minimize their environmental impact, recycling is one of the first things that comes to mind. Over the last half-century, recycling has been a key facet of the environmental movement. However, the circular economy model promotes more profound changes in the supply chain and usage cycle than simply recycling materials.
Nonetheless, recycling does play an important role in the circular economy. In this model, the limited materials that reach their end-stage can be given new life through recycling technology. Waste recycling can work as an indispensable component within the circular economy.
The Future is the Circular Economy
Currently, we are working within a linear economy, in which items are produced, used, and discarded. In contrast, in a circular economy, materials are used for a maximum amount of time to reduce their environmental impact.
This is done through measures like repairing, repurposing, and finally recycling materials into new products. In other words, a circular economy is like a closed loop, where materials rarely reach an absolute end-stage. A move to a circular economy model is crucial to address our current flawed system of consumption and resource depletion.
Recycling and Waste in the Circular Economy
In a circular economy, waste should be minimized through the implementation of upstream solutions: shared use, maintenance, reuse, and repair. When these measures become the standard throughout the design and usage of materials, the quantity of material that reaches the recycling stage will be significantly reduced.
Nevertheless, the need to recycle some materials will always be inevitable as the last resort for materials that can no longer serve their purpose. Recycling technologies can then convert waste materials into new products.
Through innovation in the recycling sector, waste recycling can be made more efficient so that once products reach their end of life, their materials can become useful again.