About five years ago, in a geology science course, I came to understand the terminable nature fossil fuels. This awakening contributed to the rise of my environmental consciousness but also set forth a rush of questions about ways humanity can improve. The topic of recycling encompassed a great variety of inquietudes. "How is trash made into something useful? What can be recycled? Why isn't everybody doing this? What type of energy do recycling plants use, and if it's fossil fuels, then is it really as beneficial as proposed?" It's quite embarrassing to admit that all these years questions like these have bugged me but somehow not enough for me to go out of my way and find answers. Yet, in the light of this course, I have decided to break this vicious cycle of inaction. Here is what I found...
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The technical definition of recycling is when consumer goods are collected, converted back into raw materials, and remade into new consumer products. There are 4 major incentives to recycle:
1. Reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills. (The more garbage, greater is the effect of underground pollution.)
2. Recycling will reduce the amount of natural resources needed to manufacture goods. In other words, less fossil fuels for plastic and less paper for trees.
3. Many times recycling uses less energy. This definitely true for steel but not so much for plastic (which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture)
4. "For cities in densely populated areas that have to pay by the ton for their landfill usage, recycling can shave millions of dollars off municipal budgets...Economic analysis shows that recycling can generate three times as much revenue per ton as landfill disposal and almost six times as many jobs."
The most common type of recycling is known as down-recycling which means that a recycled product is of less quality (or cheaper or weaker) than original product. Eventually, products become unfeasible candidates for "re"-recycling and are regarded as garbage.
Interesting facts about recycling:
* The EPA estimates that 75 percent of what Americans throw in the trash could actually be recycled
* Incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates one job; landfilling 10,000 tons of waste creates six jobs; recycling 10,000 tons of waste creates 36 jobs
** The national recycling rate of 30 percent saves the equivalent of more than five billion gallons of gasoline, reducing dependence on foreign oil by 114 million barrels
* According to the EPA, recycling (including composting) diverted 68 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 2001, up from 34 million tons in 1990
* Recycling aluminum cans at the curb not only covers the cost of collecting and re-processing aluminum, but helps subsidize the collection of other recyclables.
SOURCES:
1. http://science.howstuffworks.com/recycling.htm
2. http://earth911.org/recycling/curbside-recycling/curbside-recycling-fun-facts/
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1 comment:
Excellent essay. Would be great if this course gives you the opportunity to pursue this topic.
If you want to continue on as your class project, and your group wants to do something else, we can rearrange groups.
Anyway, good analysis and thanks for including references.
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