According to www.webster.com one definition of recycle is: to process (as liquid body waste, glass, or cans) in order to regain material for human use. Even if one didn’t know about any other benefits of recycling I don’t see why they would not agree with just this definition alone. Recycling was a big part of my childhood; not only at school, but at home. At school we would have assemblies where individuals would dress up and out on plays about how important it is to recycle. At home recycling was a big thing because of the money we got from the bottles and cans. It wasn’t until I was in about the 6th grade or so though that I found out that other things than bottles and cans can be recycled. Through research I have found that cell phones, batteries, used car oil and part, small appliances and much, much more can be recycled. According to the Environmental Information Administration just about everything can be used again to be returned to its original state, which is called closed loop recycling, or it can be made into something else. Recycling is a big issue and it should be of concern to everyone because hazardous waste gives off toxic fumes which harm the environment and eventually the ecosystem.

The air that we breathe is all contained within the earth’s atmosphere which is sealed by the ozone layer. Yes, there is a hole in the ozone layer, but what gets produced here generally stays within the ozone layer. As toxic fumes from the hazardous waste is given off there is a byproduct of heat and that heat also stays in this atmosphere and it has created and will continue to create what we know as the greenhouse effect. This means that all the heat is trapped here and is warming up the world. The warmer the world gets the more ice caps melt, and melt rapidly, with a host of other problems. Now, this process of global warming can be slowed down by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Humans can reduce by using products that last longer, like rechargeable batteries. We won’t be using so many and in turn will be reusing them because we are recharging them. Also instead of throwing everything in the trash humans can separate it so that it can go to a place other than a landfill so that it can be sanitized and returned to its original state or into something else that is useful.

The website of the National Environment Agency reports that from the years 2001 to 2004 as the total percentage of recycling increased the total amount of waste disposed of decreased.
Year–Waste Disposed of (tonne)–Recycling Rate (%)
2001———2,802,183——————-44.4
2002———2,625,600——————45.4
2003———2,505,000——————47.0
2004———2,482,600——————48.0
The waste and recycling measurements of this abbreviated graph were from food waste, construction debris, and many other things.

Recycling is so important to the environment that some cities have made it mandatory and will fine residents if they do not make a deliberate attempt to recycle. For example, Stockton, CA has implemented a three cart system for their residents. The system is a 30 gallon garbage cart, a 60 gallon recycling cart, and a 90 gallon green waste cart. There is a $18.99 charge for the garbage cart and an additional $5 for a 60 gallon and $10 for a 90 gallon. If the residents recycle like they should then they will only need a 30 gallon garbage cart and will not require a 60 or 90 gallon cart. This system saves the resident, city, county and so on much money by not regarding everything as trash. Trash is very costly because there is nothing that can be done with it. It just sits in landfills and the land fills take up space, space that mammals can be living in, but instead there is toxic waste. Plus, many precautions must be taken to insure that the waste does not get into the water supply of humans or animals.

In conclusion, recycling is a great thing for everyone and everything. Just about all “stuff” can be recycled. If one is not sure then they should ask. They statistics in the chart above are impressive and I with my work at Xavier University of LA I hope to be one cause of the reason that the waste disposed of decreases and the recycling rate increases. After my survey I am hopeful that others will get involved and we will make a very positive impact. I was able to get one friend to go with me to the Environmental Club meeting and I was nominated as the Recycling Chair, so I am making my way. We will see what happens next.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 at 6:53 pm and is filed under Project Progress, Week 07: Research Stats. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.