What is the end result of effective recycling practices?

The end result of effective recycling practices is improved environmental sustainability. Recycling helps conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, which are all crucial to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. By recycling materials like paper, plastic, and metal, less raw material is extracted from the earth, which minimizes habitat destruction and energy consumption associated with this extraction process. Moreover, recycling reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, promoting a more sustainable approach to managing waste and ultimately benefiting the health of the planet.

In contrast, the other options represent negative outcomes associated with poor recycling practices or mismanagement of waste. Increased landfill waste suggests a failure to recycle effectively, which contributes to environmental damage. A decreased product lifespan contradicts the sustainability goal, as effective recycling aims to prolong resource use. Higher energy consumption can occur when recycling processes are inefficient or not optimized, further detracting from sustainability efforts. Thus, the correct answer highlights the positive impact that effective recycling can have on the environment.