Are policies that force recycling necessary to reduce the effects of the global warming despite the high cost of recycling in comparison to the other methods of waste management? Recycling is a controversy that has become known due to the recent pressure caused by scientific evidence of global warming. At this point recycling is mainly seen as a positive because it has proven to improve our ecological footprint. However there is a negative to recycling, which has been mapped out and described in various articles: this has been viewed as the ‘myth’ of recycling. In this controversy there are two extremes; one feels policies are not necessary for recycling, the other feels policies are necessary to recycle. The gray area in the middle of …show more content…
In 2006 the “Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004” and the “Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act” were put into effect which, “required retailers to take-back, at no cost to the consumer, to recycle or reuse old cell phones…[and] rechargeable batteries” (Article 2, paragraph 4 & 5). These policies are just in California, and do not have the magnitude to spread to the federal level yet. Even in our nation’s capital, In Washington D.C., “district officials will start enforcing new recycling laws, which require all D.C. residents, apartment buildings and companies to recycle their trash, or else face hefty fines” (Article 5, paragraph 1). These fines, which force the households and businesses to recycle, force these places to spend more money to adequately recycle materials, which disables them from spending it on other (possibly more important) things. If these places of business don’t recycling properly, “the first offense could cost the violator as much as $200. If further violations occur…charges of $600 and $1,500, respectively, will apply” (Article 5, paragraph 5). Policies such as the ones present in California and Washington D.C. give us the best example of what policies will do to our businesses and households if recycling policy became more federal law than state law. Are these policies necessary to slow the effects of global warming? Or are we just spending too much money? The two extreme sides of
Companies are using environmentalism as a straw man for overconsumption. Coming straight out of writer Amy Westervelt’s article, “Can Recycling Be Bad for the Environment?”, Westervelt clearly sees through this ploy of emotional appeal, stating “American consumers
Recycling is more than just a great idea, it is and must be a way of living. The way we take care of our environment is how our environment will treat us. If we do not take care of our environment, not only will our home look unfit to live in but it is unethical to leave the environment we live in unhealthy for our future. I do agree with the GatesburgGoGreen idea and reading through you will see my evidence as to why.
Recycling doesn’t affect people that much, but it does affect wildlife and animals. Like the six pack rings, soda comes in, fish get caught in it and they die. Another thing is plastic bags get thrown into the ocean and turtles mistake it for jellyfish, eat it and die. Would you believe me if I told you that glass, aluminum, paper and plastic are not A report from the Federal Highway Administration shows that 80 percent of the asphalt that is removed each year during widening and resurfacing is reused. Recycling has been around for thousands of years, but we still need to recycle even though people thought of this a long time ago. A consequence is the New York City Landfill. The New york city landfill contains 2.9 billion cubic feet of trash. The new york city landfill can be seen from space. The new york landfill is one of the only things that can be seen from space. Another consequence is that farmers in Wisconsin and Minnesota are just now starting to recycle. Minnesota and Wisconsin farms produce 60 million to 80 million pounds of plastic every year, but until now they had no way to get rid of it besides throwing
I don't think I should recive a fine just because I throw old food in the garbage. No Recycling Laws for Gatesburg states that, "Americans already recycle at a high rate, which is around 95% of lead-acid batteries and 70% of steel cans and newspapers." Which I personally think is wonderful. So why force people to do even more? Many people will be so used to doing things one way, that if you make it a law to do it another you are setting them up to break the law and be fined. And I don't think that is fair at all. Not only would it be unfair to fine people for not composting or recycling, but it would also increase taxes to pay for all of the services and personnel as stated in paragraph two of No Recycling Laws for Gatesburg. Therefor I do not agree with the Going Green for Gatesburg flyer. I beleive they have the best intentions but I don't think any community is ready for laws requiering citizens to compost or recycle. Maybe at some point in the future it will be as good idea, but as of right now I do not think it
"Americans already recycle at a high rate, which is around 95% of lead-acid batteries and 70% of steel cans and newspapers." States, "No Recycling Laws for Gatesburg." There is never to high of a rate on how we conserve our resources. It's good to note we as a nation do well with lead-acid batteries and steel cans and newspapers, but what about all the environmentally unfriendly things that slide through our garbage into our landfill, especially the plastics.
What is the current state of the recycling programs in Canada? Do some provinces recycle more than others? How can the amount of recycling in a nation be increased? What does the future hold in terms of recycling initiatives?
One of the most prominent issues in the American society is not an economic or social problem, but the lack of recycling in America and the effect it is having on the environment and the people. This lack of recycling can be found in businesses and schools across America who could benefit from some sort of recycling program installed. The benefits of a well placed and organized recycling program can be endless from scholarships to the benefits it can have on the environment by saving trees and reducing the space need to dispose all the trash. South Caldwell High School is one of these schools across the country that is at a loss because of its lack of a recycling program and many other schools and businesses in Caldwell county are not reaping
a) Recycling just half of your annual recyclable household waste saves 2400 pounds of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. Many scientists contend that human-released CO2 is a leading cause of global warming.
Global warming is caused by several things. One of these is the release of carbon dioxide into the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by using energy generated from burning fossil fuels.
Yes, recycling is often preferable to sending materials straight to the landfill, but recycling has its own demons. A big concern regarding recycling is the possibility of encouraging over consumption. As award winning environmental journalist Amy Westervelt explains in her essay, “Can Recycling Be Bad for the Environment”, people will ease the guilty they feel for massively over-consuming disposable goods by tossing the used items into their recycling bins (213). But not everything that’s recyclable gets recycled—recycling is
As a result, local communities have come together to initiate recycling efforts; the percolation of their enthusiasm has led to the widespread acceptance and even encouragement of recycling at both the state and federal levels. With recovered materials demanding higher market prices and curbside collection and commercial recovery on the rise, it is not unrealistic for Americans to expect to see nationwide recycling rates of thirty-five to fifty percent by the turn of
These days, our earth has been filled by a lot of waste. There is a lot of garbage, plastic waste, and electronic waste. We always produce it and dump it when we need the new one. Our waste are piling up and continuously accumulating. Plastic waste is one of the biggest problems for us now. And our solution in this problem is recycling. In my opinion, recycling is a way to manage used items into new products. We can reduce, reuse, and recycling (3R) waste management (Peter, 2013). We can reduce our waste clothes with reuse it. There are some reasons why peoples recycle used or unwanted items, which are, prevent wasting unusable materials that still have usage after recycled, reduce the application of raw materials, reduce energy
A worker at a paper factory in Illinois states, “Then the issue was saving a tree. But trees are replaced. We plant them, we cut them, we plant them again” (Pendleton). The worker also said, “The problem now is the landfill situation, I think this one is going to stick” (Pendleton). By 1991 thirty-nine states and hundreds of local governments have passed laws or solutions requiring the purchase of recycled paper. According to Henry Miller, vice president of a paper mill said, “By volume, thirty-eight percent of solid waste in a landfill is paper and cardboard” (Pendleton). That paper and cardboard, if recycled could have produced that much paper or other products and it would have cleared up thirty-eight percent of many landfills across America. One major way to get people involved with recycling is the environment perspective. Not only would the landfills be cut down the environment gains a lot by having people recycle. So what do the states do to keep the environment clean? They enact laws against litter and waste. One way is the state requiring the deposit on beer and soft-drink bottles and cans (Prichard 8A). In those states, millions of bottles and cans that once were left on beaches, tossed in rivers and parks or thrown along the highways are being taken back to stores instead for a refund. A twenty-year old student from Michigan said, “Throwing away cans is like throwing away money to me” (Prichard 8A). These state laws must be working if people have this
We don't have to be a genius to be aware of global environmental mess we created over the
I remember my first semester here at the University and the dark halls of the Bates House Residence Hall. Many a party was concluded with an idea for what to do with the endless piles of cans that had congregated on the floor. One idea, I remember, was to wall someone into his room and another was to see how many we could stand on end without toppling. But, we usually just ended up throwing them in the trashcans in our refuse room. Sometimes out of the five trashcans in the room set aside for trash disposal, three or four would be completely filled with hundreds of cans of various beverages. Upon further contemplation, I can also remember the small, blue bucket that was thrown