How Does Recycling Create Jobs

Job Creation From The Recycling Industry

Whilst we are all aware of the environmental benefits of recycling, there is also some major recycling economic information to recognise as well. Recycling can in fact create more jobs and open up opportunities for people across the world. This means it can boost the economy whilst conserving natural resources.

Ecocycle reported that the United States reaching a recycling rate of 75% by 2030 would create 1.1 million new jobs. Over here in the UK, Edie shared that government support to scale up the repair, reuse, recycling and remanufacturing sectors could create almost half a million new jobs by 2035. These huge statistics present the importance of jobs in the recycling industry and how an increased recycling rate would push job roles.

5 Ways That Recycling Creates Jobs

1. Recycling Centres & Facilities

Some of the main green jobs are located at recycling centres. These facilities deal with separating waste and sorting recycled materials, both by hand and using machinery. Waste is then sent to manufacturers to create new products that are introduced back to the market. 

Jobs at recycling centres may include managers, sorters, site operatives, drivers and loaders. The recycling industry has been able to create these additional jobs with increased national recycling rates. This is rather than sending recyclable materials wrongly to landfills and incinerators.

2. Manufacturing Industry

Manufacturing will then take these materials to develop new products. Here, employees are needed to create and overlook new items from recyclable materials. There are so many products that can be created by reusing waste, meaning we can continuously see growth in this sector.

Manufacturing businesses also build machinery for the recycling industry. This equipment may be used during the recycling or sorting process. Some examples include waste balers to assist with compressing recyclable materials for collections.

3. Waste Collections

Businesses such as ourselves offer waste collection & recycling services for businesses across the UK. This means jobs such as lorry drivers and loaders are needed to complete the service. When we collect recycling, our team transfers your waste bales into our lorries to transport to our licensed recycling facilities. This creates a trail of jobs across the waste management industry.

4. Upcycling Brands

Upcycling means reusing a product and giving it a second life. In recent years we are seeing many upcycling brands pop up across the globe where items such as clothing are recycled to sell in shops or charities. This creates jobs rather than landfills being filled up with textile waste. For upcycling brands, employees such as shop assistants, managers, marketers and more are created to run the businesses. 

5. Innovative Technology

As the recycling industry is essential to the sustainability of our planet, many companies are being built with a mission to introduce new innovative technology and machinery to the sector. This includes tech such as IoT (Internet of Waste), one example being monitoring fill levels in rubbish containers to allow collection facilities to ensure timely pickups. Increasing efficiency and reducing our carbon footprint is a top priority for many, meaning tech businesses are introducing new processes to help the industry.

Why Else Should I Start Recycling?

As you can see recycling has an incredible result on increasing jobs in the industry, whilst it also creates a healthier planet. Rather than sending waste to landfill sites where it can fester for years emitting harmful pollution, we can reuse materials to create new products. Not only does this reduce toxins at these sites, but also saves raw resources from being overused. This reduces impact on the planet whilst reducing harm to the environments and habitats around us.

Recycle Your Waste With Plastic Expert

If your business is looking to push recycling rates and help create more jobs across the UK then get in touch with our team. We collect a vast variety of solid waste including most plastic types and cardboard and paper. Our business also provides equipment such as balers and compactors for hire. These help you compress and store waste bales of recyclable materials ready for collection. Email us or give us a call today to book your collection or enquire about any of the machinery we offer.