Until recently, Columbus operated a facility that incinerated 20 to 30 percent of all waste generated in Franklin County. At the time of its closure in 1994, the inability of government officials to mandate area refuse be delivered to the facility made its operation economically unfeasible. At the same time, U.S. EPA and community concerns were being voiced about smokestack emissions from the facility. A more familiar component of waste processing involves recycling. Here, various materials are pulled from the waste stream for eventual re-use.
Recycling is an important waste management tool for a number of reasons.
It conserves natural resources, because manufacturers can use recycled rather than virgin materials in the production process. Recycling also cuts down on manufacturing pollution, because recycled materials require far less effort and energy to work with. And, re-using items in the waste stream ultimately reduces the amount of material we throw away, conserving landfill space. While recycling has the potential to provide significant benefits, it must be noted that it does not represent a single solution to solving our waste disposal difficulties. Recycling possibility does not necessarily translate to practicality.