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Emily Stelling

Dr. Sterling

ENGL 1301

18 April 2017

Recycling: A Must

Recent studies show that [every] year, the United States generates approximately 230

million tons of trashabout 4.6 pounds per day (Solid Waste). The Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) recently stated that Americans recycle 34 percent of all the waste they create

(Recycling Rates). The other 76 percent of trash collected is incinerated or buried in landfills

(Solid Waste), but these options create more problems than they solve. Quite a few countries

surpass the United States when it comes to the percentage of trash they recycle, and with the

amount of trash that the United States accumulates, along with the plights that trash brings, the

United States should follow by example of those other countries, as well as expand on its efforts

of enforcing recycling to conserve resources, and energy, and protect the environment.

Before all trash reaches its proper receptacles, some people have taken the liberty of

throwing their trash on the ground, or anywhere else it does not belong. Litter presents harmful

situations on its own in multiple ways, with broken glass as one of the most harmful types of

litter, regardless of its location. Large debris found on or around major roads or highways, like

tire chunks or unwanted furniture, makes drivers more susceptible to getting into car accidents.

Litter in suburban areas often attracts unwanted animals, those which may be carrying dangerous

diseases, and lastly, litter in the environment can kill plants and animals, both in and out of the

ocean. It is estimated that 9 billion tons of litter ends up in the ocean every year (King) with
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most of it coming from what was on land, and the rest from those intentionally littering into the

ocean. Sea turtles and fish may see some of this debris and mistake it for food; unintentionally

eating something that their bodies may never be able to digest.

As stated previously, 76 percent of trash collected in the United States does not get

recycled. When people incinerate their trash instead of recycling it, they produce toxic smoke

and ash, since a lot of plastics and paper [are] treated with chemicals, coatings, and inks (Don't

Burn Your Garbage). When trash sits in landfills, the trash gets broken down by different bacteria

and fungi, but the decomposition of trash does not happen quickly. A paper towel can take

approximately 4 weeks to decompose, a plastic bag 20 years, tin cans 50 years, and glass can

even take up to 1 million years to decompose. During this prolonged process, methane gas and

leachate are produced. Methane gas is a greenhouse gas that helps with the progression of global

warming and leachate is a liquid that forms as trash decomposes. Both products pose threats to

the environment, especially older landfills [that] do not utilize [synthetic liners] (Q & A's

About Landfills), since leachate can contaminate groundwater, and although methane gas can

potentially be collected ... and then used as a power-generating fuel (Q & A's About

Landfills), methane emissions remain harmful for those without the ability to harness it.

Recycling provides benefits in many ways. When more people become responsible by

picking up their trash, and then they sort it accordingly so that certain materials can be reused, it

reduces the need to burn trash and use landfills. Companies that use recycled products instead of

producing new products help protect the environment while saving money. Certain material

production, like papers and cardboards, can lead to deforestation. When recyclable material is

utilized, there is a reduction in habitat destruction and global warming caused by

deforestation (Recycling Is Important). Recycling instead of using fresh resources also cuts
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back on the massive amount of energy it takes to make new materials. This preserves natural

resources for the future (Recycling Is Important), those which may become inaccessible in years

to come. Recycling also produces many jobs, since for every job collecting recyclables, there

are 26 jobs in processing the materials and manufacturing them into new products (National

Recycling Coalition). Creating more jobs becomes beneficial for those in need of jobs, without a

college education.

While considering the pros to recycling, the cons to the process must also be considered.

Some communities do not find recycling affordable. The price to pay to recycle something

depends on the material, and paper recycling is more expensive than other recycling (Carson).

Recycling also produces different types of pollution, compared to burning trash and using

landfills. Recycled electronics arrive to other countries after shipment overseas. Workers sort

these electronics by hand, and during the sorting process, metals and other chemicals may leach

into the land and water where the recycling is taking place (Josephson). For some recycling

centers, an issue persists where every manner of waste is piled [and allows] the formation of

debris and spread of infectious diseases (Rinkesh) during the separation of different materials.

Not only do these situations pose threats to the environment, they also post threats the health of

the workers present. The belief that re-recycled materials only create products that are less

durable and low priced (Rinkesh), also exists. People question whether a recycled product will

last long enough for its intended use versus a new product.

With these cons in mind, one might wonder why anyone should persist with recycling.

And yet, other countries persist in getting their citizens to recycle. These other countries also out-

recycle the United States, too, with Austria and Germany boasting the highest recycling rates at
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63 and 62 percent (Recycling Rates). These countries understand the importance of recycling,

and even take recycling to new levels. In Sweden, they convert their trash into energy. In Italy,

if you dont separate your recycling from your waste you can be fined up to 619 Euros

(Carriere), which is the equivalent of $833. In Switzerland, they have initiated a ban on landfills.

In Canada, they are piloting a program to find ways to recycle cigarette butts. There are other

countries with different ways of reusing materials, or setting regulations on what happens to

certain types of trash, but the fact remains that these countries believe that the pros outweigh the

cons when it comes to the recycling process.

Most people are familiar with the slogan, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, but sometimes

people do not think to reduce the amount of waste they create. Without reduce as a

forethought, people must force themselves to take responsibility by getting into the habit of

recycling the waste that they accumulate, especially in the United States. Recycling remains

active worldwide, and reusing and recycling products will save money, energy, resources, and the

environment, for the coming future. Plenty of examples exist where recycling works, both

businesses and other countries have proven this, and they [would not] recycle if it [did not]

make economic sense (National Recycling Coalition).

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Works Cited

Carriere, Nadia. Recycling Around the World: 7 Practices We Should Adopt from Other

Countries. Babble, Babble, 27 Apr. 2017, www.babble.com/travel/recycling-around-the-world-

7-practices-we-should-adopt-from-other-countries/. Accessed 1 May 2017.

Carson, Amy. The Pros (and Cons) of Recycling's Impact on the Environment. Edited by Laurie

Patsalides, Bright Hub, Brighthub.com, 8 July 2010, www.brighthub.com/environment/green-

living/articles/74374.aspx. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

Coastal Cleanups. Time It Takes for Garbage to Decompose in the

Environment: www.des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/coastal/trash/. Accessed 24

Apr. 2017.

Don't Burn Your Garbage. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Pollution Control

Agency, 22 Dec. 2016, www.pca.state.mn.us/living-green/dont-burn-your-garbage. Accessed 24

Apr. 2017.

Josephson, Amelia. The Pros and Cons of Recycling. SmartAsset, SmartAsset, 7 Oct. 2016,

smartasset.com/insights/the-pros-and-cons-of-recycling. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

King, Luther. 9 Interesting Facts and Statistics about Littering. Litter. It Costs You.,

Www.litteritcostsyou.org, 27 Sept. 2015, www.litteritcostsyou.org/9-interesting-facts-and-

statistics-about-littering/. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

National Recycling Coalition. Recycling Benefits:The Many Reasons Why. A Recycling Revolution,

Recycling-Revolution.com, www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-benefits.html. Accessed 24

Apr. 2017.

Q & A's About Landfills. Air and Waste Management, Air and Waste Management,

events.awma.org/enviro_edu/fact_sheets/landfill_faqs1.html. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

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Recycling Is Important. Recycling Guide, Recycling Guide, 14 Feb. 2008, www.recycling-

guide.org.uk/importance.html. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

Recycling Rates Around The World. Recycling Rates Around the World, Planet Aid, Inc., 2 Sept.

2015, www.planetaid.org/blog/recycling-rates-around-the-world. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

Rinkesh. Advantages and Disadvantages of Recycling. Conserve Energy Future, Conserve Energy

Future, 16 Jan. 2017, www.conserve-energy-future.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-

recycling.php. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

Solid Waste. Garbage-- Solid Waste, Annenberg Learner, 2016,

www.learner.org/exhibits/garbage/solidwaste.html. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.