What Was The Impact Of Recycling In America

Recycling is the process of making new products from a product that has originally served its purpose. The process of recycling starts when used products are disposed in an appropriate, environmentally friendly way. Items made from materials such as paper, tin cans, aluminum cans, plastic water bottles, and glass, which people use in everyday life, can be separated from regular trash and put in an appropriate recycling bin. The United States now realizes the importance of recycling. However, many ignorant people still think separating recyclables requires too much work. Requiring mandatory recycling would prod these individuals into action. Lack of recycling leads to dramatic consequences such as polluting the environment and raising the number of landfills. Delay is critical; time plays a significant role in waste management. The sooner American communities recycle properly the better it will be for the environment and our surroundings. People need to become conscious and take responsibility as a society to protect the earth, keep it clean and beautiful, and preserve the natural resources. The United States can achieve this goal by implementing mandatory recycling.

All of this trash means one thing: the current rate of waste generation in the United States is unsustainable; something must be done. The consequences of the throw-away society mindset are already visible, not only on the environment, but on the economy as well. Excessive waste leads to waste management fees, in addition to the cost of reproducing the disposed of products, the cost of the fuel to transport American garbage overseas, etc. All of this extra expense adds up to a substantial amount of wasted money that negatively impacts the American economy.

Additionally, because many citizens do not understand how plastic bags are made, used, how landfills work, I had no clue, that in a dry landfill, paper bags don't degrade any faster than plastic bags, because we don't understand how things are recycled. According to Monstrous, banning plastic bags will only create hardship for consumers not only making it inconvenient for the customer, but also in the long run will cause more environmental damage. (32) There has been so much misleading information in our media culture world. But, all in all, using plastic bags impacts the environment much less than using paper ones. (32) As one partial solution to our environmental problems, could be to make recycling resources mandatory, both paper and plastic, in addition, why not add cardboard, and glass. Once established, the government agencies would ultimately be responsible for developing regulations, enforce, and reviewing the overall success through ethical sound research. At which time, adjustments could be made to improve the overall process. Secondly, the money collected at the stores from individuals, who still use plastic bags, could be used to implement this new process and higher cleanup crews picking up trash and recyclables. This could become one of the activities of the Peace Corps, Ecology Youth Corps, job corps, nonviolent inmates, and summer jobs for our youth, especially

“Recycling is a four-step process” that is simple in comparison to how much it helps our earth. The first step is “collection and separation from other trash.” Then the “reprocessing into raw material, and the third is manufacturing into new products.” The final step in recycling “is the purchase and use of recycled products by consumers, including individuals, businesses, and government institutions” (Recycling, para. 1). Due to the easy process some of the collection programs are just as simple. From the most popular method “curbside collection to drop-off centers, buy-back centers, and deposit/refund programs” there are plenty of options to recycle and reuse goods that you can take part in (Recycling, para. 2). There is an abundance of materials that can be recycled “including: clothing, construction waste, copper piping, furnishings, glass, lead-acid batteries, used motor oil, paper, plastic, tires, wood waste, and yard trimmings” (Recycling, para. 4). With the amount of materials that can be recycled, the easy collection programs, and the simple process, recycling is the perfect way for people to participate in cleaning up our

is a major provider of the trash that pollutes the ocean. In the year 2000 we were producing nearly 5 pounds of trash per day which is more than double the amount of trash produced in most other industrialized countries (Recycling and Conservation). Thar is way too much, we need to recycle and not throw away. One of the things that we seem to always throw but is easily recycled is plastic. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), “Americans generated 33 million tons of plastics in 2013, which is about 13% of the waste stream”. I think that that is ridiculous since nearly all plastic is recyclable. To put that into perspective the 200 million pounds of garbage americans make each year is enough to fill Busch Stadium from top to bottom twice a day (11 Facts About Recycling). We need to reduce the amount of trash we produce and recycle the trash that we do make. You can make a

How many people in the United States recycle and what is considered recycling? Unfortunately, the percentage is low and not enough people in today’s society recycles, while recycling is defined as “to make something new from (something that has been used before)” (Merriam-Webster). With the percentages of recycling being low makes you wonder what is wrong with the people in today’s society. If you ask the people why they don’t recycle, they will give you plenty of excuses. “It doesn’t help in any way,” “I don’t have time,” and/or “It doesn’t benefit my lifestyle.” But, with all of these excuses, does it still give the people the justification not to recycle? Recycling has and will give immediate and long-term effects on our planet, which in the long run is what we want for the future. Recycling should be looked

Every year, $7 billion worth of recyclable materials are sent to landfills in the United States alone. Each community plays a role in contributing to this number. Unfortunately, if we as the Village of Mundelein are not doing our best to reduce this massive amount of waste, we are partly responsible. Far too many reusable items end up in the trash in our town. As a student at Mundelein High School, I notice my peers don’t seem to realize there is a difference between the recycling bin and the trash can. Trash ends up in the recyclables and vice versa. Moreover, a recent Lake County study found that Mundelein was not in the top 10 communities that recycle the most (“Garbage and Recycling Program”). Even worse, it also revealed that Mundelein’s recycling rates between 2014 and 2015 actually decreased-- we moved from 1.72 pounds of trash per person per day to 1.79! There are multiple reasons for that, including not enough awareness and not implementing a more efficient recycling system.

In 2010, Americans produced about 250 million tons of garbage and only 34 percent was recycled. Littering may be small, but when it accumulates it can become a serious issue, which nowadays unfortunately already exists. There’s numerous amounts of negative impacts caused by this matter that not everyone is aware of. These ramifications not only impact the people itself, but animals and environments as well. In addition, this incident has enough power to contribute to other pollution types that exist as well. For example: an article by the Chicago Tribune from 2011, called “Chicago River cleanup required”, states that because of all the waste in the waterways, approximately $72 million will be needed to disinfect these waterways. As any bad

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 as materials that may have been reused must 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.

It is shocking to think that the average American produces around seven pounds of trash a day (NPR). What’s scarier is that this is a 50% increase in trash production from the 1960’s. It is unknown whether or

Those who are for mandatory recycling programs are concerned about the landfills, but landfills should be the least of their worries. Modern landfills ensure a safe disposal of potentially hazardous waste. The Environmental Protection Agency conducted some research that was “based on ultra-conservative, worst case assumptions,” and discovered that “83 percent of America’s solid waste landfills pose a lifetime cancer risk of less than one in one million (about the same risk inherent in drinking a

benefits the economy, conserves resources, and is better for wildlife yet the majority of Americans do not recycle. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only thirty eight percent of Americans profess to be “avid recyclers.” This is an alarming statistic given that the average American generates 4.4 pounds of trash a day. As a nation this country produces approximately 250 million tons of trash every year. Only thirty five percent of the millions of tons of trash collected annually in the United States is recycled. There are a myriad of reasons given by those who do not recycle. For example, some Americans consider recycling inconvenient,

Imagine walking down a forest path, feeling the crisp fall breeze, hearing the birds chirping, breathing in the fresh air. The earth's environment is wonderful and as stewards of this plant, it is every human's job to protect and even enhance its beauty. Dumping incinerated garbage into a hole in the Earth is not exactly being a good steward. However, science has developed the technology of recycling, and people should use this blessing as readily as possible. In other words, everyone should recycle, and if they won't do it on their own, recycling should become a requirement. Recycling should be mandatory because it helps minimize pollution, conserve energy, preserve natural resources, and create jobs.

On average humans produce around 4.3 pounds of trash per day (“Municipal Solid Waste”). With 7 billion people and counting the amount of trash being generated is increasing (“United States Census”). All of our bottles, wrappers and food is being thrown away and entering our landfills. Landfills are man-made structures that are carefully designed to separate trash, we produce, from other land areas. These structures are made so that the trash and the byproducts of it do not contaminate groundwater or the environment around it (“Learn about Landfills”). Some ways that individuals can reduce the amount of trash that ends up in landfills is to recycle, donate, reduce food waste, and purchase materials with less packaging (“15 Easy Ways”).

Municipal solid waste (MSW), more commonly known as garbage or trash, is steadily filling landfills across the United States. Landfills are carefully built disposal facilities for MSW and are designed to keep the waste from contaminating the environment around it (Advanced Disposal Services, 2017). The use of landfills is a two thousand year old tradition, starting in Ancient Rome and becoming popular in the United States in the mid 1950’s (Ezban. 2012). There are many factors that contribute to the filling of landfills. Growing population rates, product packaging increases, and consumption rates are to name a few (Shah, et al, 2007). In a recent study it was concluded that