Recycling for a Better Environment

Waste disposal is a severe problem of our society nowadays. Because we consume more, we waste more. Technologies have been developed, but some minds have not changed. Trash or garbage is any unwanted substance. It can be industrial, mining, agricultural, commercial or from community activities. According to a research done by the University of Duke sustainability center and published their website, more than 180 million tons were wasted in the United States in 2008 and only approximately 33% was recycled. We waste too much, but we are not doing enough in dealing with the problem.

An average American person generates 4.3 pounds of waste daily according to the research.

Since the beginning of our history, we, humans, have always wasted. In the first civilizations the garbage was natural, helpful to the environment. As the time was passing, the consumerism took control of us, we started consuming too much that the waste disposal became a problem. According to the research I cited before, the Americans have increased their waste production in 40 million tons in just 18 years (1990-2008).

It is frightening. Where are we going to stop?

A problem we face related to trash that is increasing exponentially is what is called by e waste. Are included on this kind of waste all discarded electrical or electronic devices. Computers, office electronic equipment, entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, television sets, and refrigerators. Those contain radioactive substances that if not well discarded, can be dangerous. As lithium, americium, copper, sulfur, etc. Actually, the United States is the world leader in producing electronic waste, tossing away about 3 million tons each year.

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This problem is showed by the film Wall-E. The animation happens in the future and tells a story of a robot that is one of the few “habitants” in the Earth, along another robot and cockroaches. In the story, the planet was abandoned by humans because it had too much waste and the main character of the film, Wall-E is responsible for saving the Earth. The animation destined to the children audience is sad and criticize the humans’ consumerism mind and probably the future consequences.

As per the image I’ve included earlier in my paper regarding the world’s waste management preferences, it is seen clearly that the most desirable option is prevention. Personally, I consider prevention to be an ignorant resolution concerned with nothing but ignoring the issue present. What I’ve found in my research to be contended most adamantly, and what I believe is the most efficient and realistic, is the minimization along the execution of the three R’s; Reuse, Recycle and Reduce.

The book “Garbage and Recycling” shows opposing viewpoints from newspapers, websites and environment specialists regarding the waste management, with the focus on recycling. In the chapter 2 preface is said that the US recycling movement started on the early 1970s with the PAYT (pay-as-you-throw) program in San Francisco. PAYT charges households or business a rate based on how much waste they put out for collection. Despite a long time from the first recycling program, almost 30 years, only 32% of the Americans recycled their waste in 2005, says the GreenMuze.com, an environmental website, on one of the viewpoints showed on the book.

Recycling policies have been adopted by many countries all over the world. Almost all of them are improving on practicing that, but none of them are as disciplined in this aspect as Sweden. The Nordic country has almost zero waste disposed. More specifically, Sweden recycles 99% of their household activities waste. Only 1% goes to a rubbish dump. That is impressive and is an example to be followed.

Another frequently used way to get the trash gone is the incineration. It is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances. It converts the garbage into ash, flue gas and heat. But doing this it is not that good. Severe environmental impact is a big problem on using this “solution”. All carbon combusted on heating the organic substances is emitted as CO2 to the atmosphere. The use of incinerators for waste management is controversial. The debate over incinerators typically involves business interests, government regulators, environmental activists and local citizens who become concerned over health and environmental risks. Waste disposal is a problem that involves all the world together. Nothing will change if a country improves its recycling policies but the other worsen them. Everybody has to work together to solve the problem. So it needs a very strong empathy in each of us. We need to think that not recycling the correct way or throwing the garbage in an incorrect place will not only makes your life worse, but everyone’s also.

We also need to have a well-built interpretative competence to understand and measure our actions regarding the environment wellness. We should reflect: Why should I recycle? Why is that important? Will it change my life in any aspect? A good verbal competence is an essential skill to anyone related with the environment wellness. Environmental specialists in special, they have to argue and show pros and cons of each the waste management option. They should convince the authorities. “Why it is good? Why it is bad? Why should we recycle? Why should we not incinerate? We have to deal with the individual differences. It includes the different conditions the people have to help the environment. Rich people have more condition and are, generally, more concerned and aware of the waste disposal problem. They are majority on the consumerism and more aware and concerned to recycling. On the other hand, poor people do not have much knowledge about the environmental wellness. We should and must understand the differences and each one to build a healthy relationship and do what is possible and achievable for them to help solving the waste disposal problem.