NCERT Notes for Class 8 Recycling of Paper

The conservation of plants and animals is crucial, therefore taking care of the same can save our ecosystem and can make it more sustainable and healthier for further generations. Recycling paper is one of the useful ways to contribute to this cause.

We find waste matters on a large scale, recycling does not only reduce waste but it can also conserve the biodiversity and environmental resources. Plants and trees provide us with oxygen and shelter for many animals. Recycling paper can stop deforestation and help conserve the habitat of countless plants and animals.

In this article, we will learn how recycling paper can play a part in the conservation of plants and animals. 

Why is the Conservation of Plants and Animals Important?

Protecting flora and fauna is essential to maintaining healthy and sustainable ecosystems. Preservation is important for several reasons.

• Biodiversity: Plants and animals play an important role in the food chain and provide important resources such as food, medicines, and raw materials. Protecting plants and animals helps maintain this biodiversity and ensures that these resources are available for future generations. 
• Climate regulation: Plants absorb carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas and releases oxygen which is essential for all living things. Preserving plants helps maintain the balance of all gases in the atmosphere, therefore, preventing climate change.
• To protect soil: Trees help to stop soil erosion and preserve the fertility of the soil. It can also prevent flooding and can regulate the water cycle.

 Plants and animals contribute to the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries, providing livelihoods for millions of people worldwide. 

How does Recycling Paper Contribute to Conservation?

Recycling paper contributes to conservation in the following ways:

• Minimizes waste production:  It reduces waste that ends up in landfills. This helps conserve natural resources.
• Protecting trees: It reduces the demand for wood pulp, which is obtained by cutting down trees. This helps conserve forests and biodiversity.
• Reduces energy use: It uses less energy compared to the production of new paper from wood pulp. This helps conserve energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• Reduces water pollution: The production of paper from wood pulp requires large amounts of water, therefore can conserve water. 

Process of Recycling Paper

Recycling of paper involves many steps:

• Collecting Used papers or things that can be recycled to paper.
• Selecting useful things out of collected ones
• Shredding or making pieces of those things.
• Making the pulp out of it.
• Testing the quality of pulp.
• Removing the dye of the pulp if required.
• Papermaking.

Benefits of Recycling Paper for Plants and Animals

Recycling paper is good for plants and animals in the following ways:

• It can reduce the pollution in the environment.
• Minimizes the destruction of habitat by saving the forest.
• Conserving the resources for the plants and animals by reusing the waste.
• In return reduces the economic cost by minimizing the cost for transportation of goods required to prepare paper.
• It saves energy, which can be used for other purposes.
• It can help in generating revenue and jobs for paper recycling industries

How Can We Promote the Recycling of Paper?

It’s easy, we just have to stop the unnecessary use of paper. Whenever we want to read books we can use e-books or electronic devices to read news or magazines. As much as possible we should start using both sides of the paper and we can avoid printing unnecessary documents. Furthermore, we can spread the benefits or make others aware of the benefits of recycling of paper on our environment.