Pros and Cons of Reuse

What can reuse do for us? It often involves using materials over and over, thus increasing the average life span for any product. It is a form of waste reduction and helps to conserve many of the Earth's valuable resources. However, as with anything, there are pros and cons with reuse. Though it may sound great and be environmentally friendly, and while reuse is alive and thriving in developed countries such as the US, it is a large health concern for the populations of the currently developing countries. It is true that about 80% of America's electronic waste such as used computers and TVs are being sent to struggling Asian nations. There, workers (often children) work to dismantle the products and salvage parts and are exposed to unsafe chemicals and toxic materials such as lead, mercury, and even cadmium. Whatever is not useful is thrown into waterways and fields, or burned which exposes workers again to toxic dioxins. Salvaging is often the only way to make a living in poor countries and those that engage in such activities are inevitably exposed to unsafe levels of toxins and infectious diseases.
Of course, there are positive effects for reuse. It improves environmental quality. Two examples of reuse are refillable glass beverage bottles and soft drink bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Many of these bottles will survive about 10 to 15 trips before they are too damaged for use. Then, they will be suitable for recycle that also saves energy. The use of these bottles also can stimulate economies by providing jobs related to collection and refill of the bottles. Rechargeable batteries help the environment greatly because batteries end up buried in landfills where their toxic acids will leak into the ground and contaminate it. Also, plastic grocery bags should not be used. When you go shopping for groceries, make sure to bring your own cloth bag to prevent the plastics from being buried. On average, plastics will sit in a landfill for 1,000 years before returning to a natural form. Therefore, there is much debate on the merits of reuse but it is evident that there are both positive and negative externalities to employing this method.