Recycling

9 Pages 2333 Words

Recycling is an extremely important issue in our world today. Recycling is returning materials to their raw material components and then using these again to supplement or replace new materials in the manufacture of a new product. It is important for every person to take responsibility for his or her own contribution to the recycling effort. Recycling not only means reusing and restoring our garbage but can also include donating old clothes to charitable organizations, reusing plastic containers to store food in the refrigerator, and many other activities we already participate in. Although recycling encompasses many areas of our lives, this paper will focus on our everyday waste products, how to recycle them, and if it is a worthwhile cause (Carless 3). With thousands of curbside recycling services operating nationwide, people can no longer make excuses for their lack of recycling. Consumer education is important so people can make informed decisions about buying products which are recyclable and minimize the amount of garbage that cannot be recycled. Recycling has several healing affects on the Earth such as helping to slow global warming, diminishing acid rain, reducing water pollution, conserving landfill space, and lowering pollutants in the air (Stein 13). For four consecutive weeks, I collected my personal garbage and counted and/or weighed the respective products. I learned that many of the products I use can be recycled, however, I also realized that I need to make a more conscious effort to buy recyclable products. Appendix A details the garbage I collected and is divided into several categories which are: aluminum, other metals, glass, plastics, newspaper, white paper, other paper, and food products. I will discuss each group and how, or if, the products listed in the group can be recycled. By using recycled aluminum instead of virgin ore, we can eliminate 95 percent of air pollution, 97 percent of water pollution, save 4 ton...