Whenever a person makes a decision, they usually take a second to consider the benefits and pitfalls that may happen as a result. While potential negatives exist in nearly any situation, there's one where they're virtually nonexistent - recycling.

No matter how you look at it, recycling is a valuable process for everyone involved. By properly disposing of your recyclable goods, you are helping curb the consumption of our natural resources while saving energy and space in landfills at the same time. When you take into account the fact that glass requires up to 4000 years to decompose in a landfill, it becomes clear why the extra seconds needed to throw an item into a recycling bin instead of a garbage can are important.

In addition to being environmentally friendly, recycling is also good to your wallet. Most states offer five-cent rebates on every metal can or plastic bottle that is brought to a recycling center and disposed of properly. If you save up enough cans, you may even be able to supplement your income with them on a regular basis!

Reducing waste is a paramount concern and one that is at the forefront of the recycling movement. According to Environment-green.com, every one ton of plastic that is recycled each year is equivalent to the following - two people's energy use for the year, the amount of water used by one person for two months and nearly 2000 pounds of oil. Consider those numbers the next time you go to throw away a plastic bottle and you the garbage bin won't seem like a logical option.

Making recycling a habit is a small price to pay for the damage that not doing so can have on the environment. Don't wait - start recycling today.