The Importance of Recycling and Why It Should be Made Compulsory
Everyone knows the importance of recycling, but few people take it seriously enough to actually do it on a regular basis. This practice has become so commonplace that the average person assumes that someone else takes care of recycling and that they don’t need to do anything at all. However, even the most environmentally conscious people fail to see the importance of recycling and why it should be made compulsory if we are to protect our planet and all its inhabitants from environmental destruction.
What is Recycling?
Recycling is the term for converting waste products into useful products. Recycling can benefit your community, the economy, and the environment. Individuals, organizations, and communities may all recycle different items. The things you recycle may depend on where you live and what’s available in your area. For example, a city might offer curbside pickup for recyclables such as paper products or aluminum cans while a rural area might have recycling centers that accept glass bottles or scrap metal.
Value of different recyclables
Aluminum cans are one of the most valuable recyclables because they can be recycled over and over again. The average can is recycled four to five times before it finally becomes too damaged to recycle. Glass is also a valuable recyclable because it can be recycled indefinitely. However, only about 30% of glass is currently being recycled. Paper is another important recyclable, as it can be recycled up to seven times before it becomes too damaged. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. If you recycle every day for six months, you would save more than 1,500 pounds of trash from going into landfills. In 2008, Americans generated over 254 million tons of waste; that’s about 4.4 pounds per person per day. If all that waste were dumped in one year, we would need 166 Empire State Buildings-worth of space to store it all! Recycling should not be made compulsory but people should still do their part by recycling whenever possible.
If recycling was made compulsory, how would it help the world?
If recycling was made compulsory, it would help the world in a number of ways. For one, it would reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills. This is important because landfills are a major source of methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Additionally, recycling would help conserve resources like water and energy. Finally, recycling can create jobs in the Green Economy, which is good for both the environment and the economy. That's why I think we should make recycling compulsory
1) Recycling will cut down on the amount of waste going into landfills, which is important because they're a major source of greenhouse gases like methane.
2) Recycling conserves resources like water and energy, which helps combat global warming by using less natural resources.
3) Lastly, making recycling compulsory creates jobs in the green economy - which protects our planet AND helps our people.
Do you think recycling should be made compulsory?
Absolutely! Recycling is one of the easiest ways to reduce our impact on the environment. Not only does it conserve resources, but it also reduces pollution and helps create jobs. Recycling also decreases landfill space and lowers our carbon footprint. So even if you don't care about the environment or the planet, you should recycle just because it benefits you too! And not just in a monetary sense- every time we put an empty can in the recycling bin instead of throwing it in the trash, we're preventing more trash from filling up our landfills. I know this all sounds like a lot of work and not really worth it for some people but those people are missing out on what's really important here: preserving this earth for future generations.
Tips to make recycling easier
1. Set up a recycling station in your home so that it’s easy to separate recyclables from other waste.
2. Get everyone in the household on board with recycling – make it a team effort!
Educate yourself about what can and can’t be recycled – this will help you make better decisions about what goes in the bin.
4. Where possible, buy products that are made from recycled materials.
5. If you’re able to, try composting food scraps or paper towels (yes!) instead of throwing them out.
6. When shopping for new products, think about whether they're recyclable or not - do some research before making a purchase!
7. Share these tips with others and let them know how important recycling is for our planet's future! Recycling should be compulsory because we must preserve our planet's natural resources.
We all have a responsibility to take care of our Earth and make sure that it survives for generations to come.
Together, we can keep the environment clean by taking small steps like recycling more often than we used to.
Image source
unsplash.com