Persuasive Essay On Landfills

Recycling and conservation are the solution to climate change and to saving energy. America sends a majority of its trash to landfills when it could be put to much better use by means of recycling or even by burning it to produce energy. Pollution is greatly reduced when recycling because the need to collect new raw materials goes down. Recycling is great because it can help people conserve this Earth for future generations who deserve to have a healthy Earth. Once the United Stated reaches recycling levels of 75%, it would be the equivalent of getting rid of fifty five million cars from the roads in the U.S. each year.

Light needs to be shed on the reality of the recycling process as to where all of our trash

The United States produces roughly 250 million tons of solid waste, or garbage, on an annual basis. This number equates to 4.4 pounds of solid waste created by every American on a daily basis (Miller, Meindl, & Caradine, 2016). The recycling rate in the U.S. is around 35%, meaning over 165 million tons of waste is placed in the nation’s landfills or incinerated each year (Mozo-Reyes, Jambeck, Reeves, & Johnsen, 2015). Landfilling recyclables contributes to a greater strain on global resources because materials that may have been reused must now be replaced (Miller, et.al. 2016). Landfilling waste also contributes to air pollution through the release of methane (Delkash, Zhou, and Singh, 2016) and poses threats to groundwater near landfills (Talalaj & Biedka, 2016). As the population of the nation (and the world) increases, strategies must be found to reuse resources rather than simply disposing of them.

America is one of the largest countries along with being one of the largest waste producers in the world. In 2013 Americans generated about 254 million tons of ("Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2013 Fact Sheet"). So where does all of this trash go? Approximately 55% of 220 million tons of waste generated each year in the United States ends up in one of the over 3500 landfills ("Center for Sustainability & Commerce"). This trash that ends up in the landfill consist of metals, steel and aluminum can, plastic bottles, and paper along with other miscellaneous items. The issue with this is that the majority of these items will never decompose and just sit in the ground forever. While other items like paper will eventually decompose there is still a better alternative than putting it into a landfill. This alternative is known as recycling. What can we recycle? What can the average family do to recycle more? Where does trash end up if it is not properly thrown away or recycled? What is the impact of the improperly disposed trash on our environment? What can the government do to help?

In 2016, Americans elected a new President, Donald Trump. During his campaign, candidate Trump made several promises about the EPA. One of Donald Trump’s campaign promises that I read on www.washingtonpost.com, “the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) might disappear,” reminded me of the “Love Canal” scandal. As a student of biology and geology and a future scientist, the idea that government agencies would no longer assist with the protection of the environment, which includes politicians, was astonishing. According to an Executive Order signed by President Trump and posted on www.epa.gov, the “2015 Clean Water Rule” that protected streams and oceans from environment pollutants was rescinded (2017). The reason the quote by candidate Trump and the executive order by President Trump has any relevance is because these same actions could impact pre-1991 landfills. Landfills built before the 1991 regulations were not required to install barriers that protect the groundwater from carcinogens. There are chemicals that the EPA has determined to cause cancers and presently exist in landfills. Landfills built before 1991 are not required to protect any humans, wildlife or plants, or water from toxins and the new EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt could decide the current regulations are too

Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, enough to fill Busch Stadium from top to bottom twice a day, that’s over 1800 feet! according to Ballparks. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it says Do Something. With the invention of the virtually indestructible material well known as plastic, on top of the rapidly evolving technological world, and the extreme reduction of locations where landfills can be built, it’s hard to believe that 75% of the waste stream in America alone is recyclable, and yet only 30% of it is actually recycled. Recycling is a beneficial solution to many of our increasingly important environmental

Recycling has been around for many years along with the idea behind not being wasteful, however it has only recently become popular to take part in. Even with recent growth it has not become popular enough. The solution to overflowing landfills, unemployed Americans, toxins released in the atmosphere, et cetera. It is right before everyone’s eyes but no one seems to see the simple solution: recycling. A mandatory recycling policy would ensure that the environment is being saved for future generations, the soil is suitable for crops, people are employed, and the cash flow that comes with it does not hurt either. With such a simple fix to mass environmental destruction, why is this not already in action?

Ironically, everyone knows the benefits of recycling despite the astonishing amount of pollution created yearly in America. America started recycling in 1970 when recycling centers opened and by 2009 America had 9,000 curbside recycling trash programs plus 3,000 composting communities available (Palliser). According to the Janna Palliser, a 2013 study done by the EPA, deduced annually Americans produced 254 million tons of municipal solid waste while the recycled amount is a measly 87 million tons equaling 34.3%. Moreover, America should aspire to raise yearly recycling percentages considerably higher than “34.3 %”; however, the “34.3 %” concludes recycling prevented “186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide” from being expelled into the air

Many of animals in our environment are being harmed from our wastes, like turtles in the sea being trapped on beer can plastic rings. Recycling wastes should be a thing that everyone does to prevent many things like this from happening. There are people out there who recycle everything they can, and there are those who can’t even bother to look if they’re throwing their trash in the right bin. People all over the world constantly debate whether recycling is or is not beneficial to the environment. With the climate changing rapidly and natural disasters becoming worse, people should be more aware of the dangers that global warming can bring. Even a little help can do good for the environment; we should help by recycling more. Those who recycle help reduce pollution caused by waste, save energy and create jobs for those in need.

Many grocery stores across the United States dispose of pre-expired food instead of donating it to homeless shelters, food banks or to families in need. Food that is not expired and is perfectly good to consume is being thrown away by farmers and grocery stores because it is not aesthetically pleasing. Annually, over 133 billion pounds of food are disposed of each year. (wync.org). Approximately 95 percent of all wasted food will end up in a landfill, wasted food causes harm to the environment. When food breaks down it produces methane. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate changes. (epa.org). Donating food can help two major problems, it can help feed people who are in need and it can help the environment.

Recycling and composting intiatives should be adopted and put into practice in communities throughout the United States for a multitude of reasons.

Climate change is an issue we face today and greenhouse emissions are adding on to the damage. Trash that is simply thrown away ends up in a landfill and is left to breakdown and decompose. Methane is produced through the decomposition process. Methane is nearly 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is a heat trapping gas. It captures heat in the atmosphere which causes a rise in temperatures, thus global warming. With mandatory recycling, there would be less decomposing waste in landfills; this would reduce the amount of methane being trapped in the atmosphere and effectively help combat climate

Everyone should look into "Going Green for Gatesburg" to help save the landfill's. To help keep the earth from being filled with trash from all of the landfills we have because all the extra trash. First, everyone should have a geen trashcan for food waste so you coould use it for compost. Secondly, have a blue trashcan for recycling paper and plastic. Finally, have a black trashcan for the landfill trash. This would help save our money so we dont have to spend it on opening up more landfills.

and more garbage will go to landfills until they all get filled up. If that happens, where will the

American citizens throw away millions of tons of garbage each year, and this trash has to go somewhere. While there are projects underway to clean and reuse this refuse most of it gets dumped into huge landfills. These landfills are disgusting festering blisters on our country's landscape. But people continue to consume and throw away more and more in the name of convenience. As they see it, when things get old, throw it away and get a new one. They blame the government for the trash problem, but the truth blame should be placed on themselves.