Recycling Laws: Eco-Unfriendly?

Over the past couple of years, countries and companies alike have taken the steps to ensure their citizens or employees are living an economically friendly lifestyle. This can be achieved by recycling programs, motion activated lights, and producing products with sustainable materials that do no harm to the trees or atmosphere. While countries like the United States and those in Western Europe have the capabilities to achieve this with advanced technology, education, and funds, the more poor countries of Earth still have to surrender themselves to unethical solutions. It is not only businesses in these regions that make these crucial decisions, but the government as a whole. A current example is the Nicaragua Grand Canal that is deciding to

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.

Companies that have gone green have gained profits. Recycling has become a multimillion dollar industry in a lot of countries. When looking at America’s statistics in recycling it shows

The United States is economy is based on a consumption driven model. Corporate law has more to do with lining shareholder pockets than environmental protection. Externalities have become a byproduct of doing business in the United States. Perhaps this is why economics has become an environmental issue as well as a financial one. The release of greenhouse gasses into the environment is increasing. The environmental impact of electronic goods is negatively affecting our ecosystem. From water, to farming, to the amount of trash we dispose of our consumption continues to impact our environment in negative ways; in the not so distant future the damage could become irreversible. Recycling helps a great deal, but, the only reasonable path back to a sustainable way of life must, by necessity, include less consumption.

The current recycling craze began in 1987 with a New York garbage barge named the Mobro 4000. It left New York in 1987 and spent the majority of a year at sea looking for a place to dump its 3000 tons of trash. By the time that it returned to New York, it had created a panic about a lack of landfill space in America (Hutchinson). Soon after, small recycling businesses blossomed into large corporations. Some people, however asked if instead of recycling being an environmental panacea, it could be a placebo. These people wondered if the very thing that environmentalists said would save the environment was actually killing the planet. They wondered if behind the curtain of a growing industry, there were faults that hurt the economy. Society and the environment will become healthier if mandatory recycling is stopped.

Good Morning everyone, i'm here today to address the situations regarding recycling. There is much debate as to if it is truly beneficial to recycle, some see it as a waste of time gathering resources and money in gas to take it to recycling centers. If local governments gave you the opportunity to recycle by providing recycling bins would you take advantage? If you said no, there are plenty of reasons as to why you should say yes, starting with economic benefits. By 2025 it is estimated that the U.S will save over 850 billion dollars(BIR President Ranjit Baxi). Big businesses such as Apple are already on board with recycling, this year alone they have made 40 million in recycled devices (Environmental Responsibility Report). Other benefits include environment. Some disclaimers believe that landfill spaces will not fill up anytime soon and that they are not harmful to the environment, on the other hand why should we wait until it becomes a problem to fix our landfills? If we can stop the problem at its source there is no reason not to recycle as it positively affects everyone.

“The affluent, fast-paced, throwaway American culture is producing trash on a stupendous scale.” (Young,Mitchell page 14). We are living in a plastic universe, and very unaware. The problem with plastic, is how frequently it is being used, and having no true way of disposing it. The fibers of plastic are in just about everything on Earth, not only is it sitting inside the Earth, it is in everything surrounding us. There is plastic materials in food containers, make up, fuel, and so much more. Using science, and technology, we need to find new ways of disposing unwanted shreds of plastic, and other recyclables. Recycling might not get rid of all the issues growing with global warming, but being aware of what is being

Every day, I see people walking out of stores with their own bags, or people at the register declining plastic bags. I see people who opt to ride bikes, walk, and take public transportation instead of driving a personal vehicle. On a bigger scale, I see companies pushing for greener practices, aiming to reduce their waste and use sustainable

In the world we live in, pollution is becoming a bigger problem. Most of the materials in landfills are materials that can and should be recycled. Things like, Styrofoam cups and used tires that will never biodegrade and will be around forever. Because of this, many countries have developed recycling programs and manufactures have started to only use recycled materials so that they are able to be recycled, over and over again. Surrounding countries in the world have seen the effects of not recycling and those effects the trash has on poverty stricken countries, like in the Guatemala City Garbage Dump. This landfill has shown the world that lives revolve around the trash being dump off daily. All types of trash are mixed together and dumped off, leaving hundreds of Guajero’s, (trash pickers) to sort and sell items they find within the dump. The items they find are to be sold as a recycled product for cash, or they use what they find as food and shelter. This method is then repeated when the next truck dumps off more trash, just so they can survive and see another day. Because of these devastating events from this city, countries have started to see the importance that recycling has

Ever since elementary school, we’re taught to recycle. They usually do not tell us why it’s so important to recycle or what it does for the world, but they just say to recycle. So some adhere to what we’re told and others just pass it by as if it were nothing. Maybe if we were told why we should do it, more people would actually take the time out of their day and recycle. When we here the word “recycle,” we think of soda cans, water bottles, and plastic material, but what many don’t know is that there is much more than that we can recycle. Once people start to recycle, they realize it’s completely easy and becomes more of a habit. “In 1973, not a single curbside recycling program existed in the United States.

Most people don’t think about where their trash goes after the garbage trucks empty the trash bins. It goes into a landfill, which is a carefully engineered and managed structure and acts as a final disposal option for waste (“Solid Waste Agency”). The purpose of a landfill is to bury trash in a way that it will be isolated from groundwater, will be kept dry, and will not come into contact with air. Under these conditions, the excess waste does not decompose very much (Freudenrich). Many objects that are thrown into the trash, which end up into a landfill, can actually be recycled. 20% of the items in landfills can be recycled, and another 25% are compostable, and a further 16% are recoverable (Curiosity Quest). A total of 61% of the landfill can be diverted to better use.

We, humans, are producing waste every day, polluting and destroying our planet. To save the world, many people believe recycling is the obvious solution. It is the process of converting certain waste into a reusable material. Therefore, the recycle motto is “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”. However, have you ever wondered why the word recycle is placed at the end? Well, it’s because it is not the only way to reduce waste and save the world from global warming. Recycling may have many advantages, but its disadvantages’ list is not a short one either. Recycling may look very simple and easy method, but when there is a need for a new unit of waste recycling, it takes up a lot of space. Not to mention the amount of money the building costs along with paying the staffs, buying new utility vehicles, upgrading the recycling unit and different types of chemical disposals. It is not only expensive but also, unhygienic, unsafe and unsightly with piles of waste materials on every location. These wastes spread infectious diseases putting human health at risk. Aside from recycling

As we all know recycling is the main key to preservation to sustainability; but most of us need to be reminded in how it play the biggest role in our environment. “Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into reusable objects to prevent waste of potential useful materials (Morris, 2013)”.

Although recycling has been around to some degree for many years the landfill crisis is demanding reform from consumers. There is an urgent need to reduce waste and recycle products. It is imperative to spare the environment from global warming due to greenhouse gases directly related to waste, lands being consumed by new landfills, and to prolong the use of existing landfills.

Recycling and landfills are two ways we get rid of waste on earth. One see’s all the garbage stacked in a pile. The other finds a way to reuse the, “trash” in an efficient way. I will compare the way recycling and traditional waste management handle the waste, the cost of each, the different types of methods, and its effects on the earth. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, which is a reason they both are still in effect today.