Although recycling might not be your biggest concern, I want to make shed light on how important it is to manage your waste in a sustainable, yet still efficient, way. Â In this country there is a dire need for more sustainable lifestyle choices, energy independence, and a bolster to our economy. I am writing this today to show how small changes and sacrifices can be part of the solution to the issues we need to correct.
For starters, the average American generates over four pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year. (1) To put that into perspective, in a country like Germany, people only produce .36 tons of solid waste per year, on average. American citizens more than quadruple the waste produces by German citizens, but at least we can still gloat about World War II! My goal is not to put down the American people or attack any individual, but it is not easy to speak highly when recycling is even worse. Â Of the 471 million tons of waste Americans produce 75 percent is actually recyclable. Do you want to know the amount of Americanâs waste is actually recycled? Sadly only around 30% percent of our recyclable material gets put in the proper bin. (2) Germany, on the other hand, recycles 70% of their TOTAL waste produced. (3) Something is wrong when we throw away four times more than a German citizen and recycle 40 percent less.
So what is different between the US and Germany that we recycle so little and produce so much more waste? I mean we have recycling programs, and some people take it quite seriously. I could speculate, I could assume, or I could make the claim that it is the fault of everyone, from government to businesses to teachers to every single individual that lives here. We are all to blame; we have let our luxuries get the best of us. For my entire life, and likely your as well, we have lived in a culture where getting more than we currently have was not only a desire, but a realistic thought.
One part of the discrepancy between what is recyclable and what is actually recycled, in this country, is education. For instance, most of us know soda cans are recyclable but are unaware that tinfoil, a cousin of the soda can, is so easily recyclable that it can be back on the shelves in as little as two months. (3) Now, yes some uses for tinfoil, such as baking salmon, leave a residue that are not desirable by trash companies, but most of our tinfoil can be cleaned and recycled. We do not take to time to recycle everything properly, so it is obvious we do not take the time to educate the youth about how to âreduce, reuse, recycleâ.
It is somewhat disheartening that most Americans rather have the minimal convenience of throwing our waste wherever weâd like instead of thinking for a second about where to place recyclables. I feel it comes down to incentives, for some it is incentive enough to think about all the good that can be done from recycling on a consistent basis, but for others more is needed. Some people might not realize what the real benefits are; and it might surprise you that by recycling we are not only being âgreener,â but also we are saving money and changing the future.
The fact of the matter is that recycling saves money. The economic benefits to recycling are not always explained to the general public, mainly because they are estimated, but recycling is one way to help increase the flow of money. Lets start with aluminum. It cost twice as much to make fresh aluminum as it does to make recycled aluminum. This double in cost is mainly to do with the high amounts of energy needed to make aluminum. As we know electricity, or any form of energy, is an expensive commodity that, when used in abundance, puts a burden on our environment, but recycling aluminum can help! Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours. Recycling 100 tin cans would light your bedroom for two whole weeks4. Not only can recycling provide us with the forms or energy we so desire and need, it has been estimated that recycling, re-use, and composting create six to ten times as many jobs as waste incineration and landfills. So not only can we get energy back from recycling, but we can also support more families by increasing our demand for recycling.
Aside from saving money, recycling creates jobs and generates revenue! New businesses for transporting, processing and selling recovered materials are all in existance because of the need to recycle. On top of that there are companies that manufacture and sell items that are made with recycled material. Talk about a double whammy! Recyclables create jobs through the industry of recycling, as well as establishing a market for repurposed, recycled goods. Another positive that comes from the recycling industry would be the diversity is workforce. Recycling employs low-, medium-, and highly-skilled workers in a variety of jobs from materials handling and processing to high-quality product manufacturing. All the different types of skill sets needed are key to a strong economic structure, and it all gives reason to believe the industry will grow from here on out.
There is a promising industry in recyclables for many reasons. For one, recycling will be needed for as long as humans are using up earthâs resources. The recycling industry is not going anywhere and just like any industry, time and innovation will prove to increase the amount of business in the recycling industry. There is a yearning for efficient handling and use of recycled materials that will spur the much-needed innovation. Â The recycling industry will have long-term economic growth because more and more people are starting to innovate and grow the industry. Currently the industry is limited to recycling glass, plastic, paper, aluminum, and other metals, but over time research will prove to find ways to recycle more materials and recycle the current materials more efficiently. Increases in efficiency will not only benefit the economic side of our society, but the entire ecological footprint we all bear.
Ecologically, humans are in a place where we must act in a way that protects ourselves from ourselves. What I mean is that there is no better time to live a life that coincides with our natural world than right now. Some people look at this current debate as approaching a fork in the road: that of economic prosperity or ecological balance. But what if I would tell you we could have economic prosperity and work to balance the ecological world via having a more comprehensive recycling program.
Recycling can benefit our natural world by reducing pollution. As many of us know, the manufacturing of a multitude of products causes the release of chemicals and other waste that adversely affect the environment. For example power plants that provide the energy to produce aluminum cans, or plastic bottles release gases that pollute the air. Thinking logically, it makes sense that if we reuse the products already made and recycle the products already made, there will be less making of new products and thereby less pollution.
Remember when I told you the EPA estimated that 75% of our waste is actually recyclable? Well Imagine if we recycled anywhere near 75% of our waste, instead of the thirty percent we actually recycle. That recycling rate would save so much energy from being wasted on more new products. With less waste, there would also be less need for landfills and incinerators. These lands could then be freed up for other uses, hopefully uses that satisfy both environmental and economic goals.
Recycling is one step to reduce not only our energy usage and spatial requirements, but also helps conserve resources. It is a fact that the amounts of resources on the earthâs surface are finite. Fossil fuels and metals cannot be replenished by nature within our lifetime. With Americans lifestyle the way it currently is, the mass need for extracting these resources leaves little for us, and even less for future generations. By recycling, we can lessen our need for raw materials, which can give us access to more of those resources in the future. By using recovered scrap materials, through recycling, in place of newly extracted ones, there is less demand for forestry and mining practices, which are environmentally taxing.
Lastly, Recycling also helps us make full use of the precious materials that we are currently over utilizing. Recycling can prove to be the first step in becoming a truly sustainable species
As a student who studies natural resources, it is easy for me to justify recycling. The sad truth is that there is a large group of consumers that are uneducated on the topic of how humans affect on the biosphere. Our societal ignorance, which I was also victim to, leads to an intensive apathy towards recycle. This apathy, whether purposeful or not, results in a recycling rate that is significantly below par, during a time that true sustainability is needed most. Most consumers are educated in their certain field, but not in consumption and most likely not in recycling. What consumers need is an education on sustainability. Not the buzz word that a ton a businesses are jumping on to sell more widgets, but the actual meaning of the word.
Sustainability, as defined by dictionary.com, as, in the environmental sense, âthe quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.â But this definition leaves out one thing, money. How can we afford to live like Americans normally live, and not deplete our resources? Full discloser, I cannot give you an answer to that, or I would be a hero. What I am able to tell you is that recycling can lead humans in the right direction of finding that balance ecologically.
Let me give you an example, with one of my favorite natural resources, trees.
More than 2 billion books, 350 million magazines, and 24 billion newspapers are published each year. Even if that number is decreased due to technological advances, the average American currently uses about the equivalent of one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree in paper and wood products each year. If the Douglas Fir was growing at a particularly fast rate, it would take more than 50 years to grow to the size needed to sustain one year of paper usage for one person!
Lets just say that is not the definition of sustainable. Good news, if every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, about 25 million trees would be saved each year. Considering that little change in placement of paper from trash to recycle bin, it makes sense, on a holistic level, to be cognizant of how we dispose of our waste.Â
I am well aware that it is not always practical or easy to find a recycling bin. Not all buildings, businesses, or neighborhoods have recycling, but there is enough space in your backpack, purse, and car to hold on to a recyclable for a few extra hours until you find a proper recycling location. It is the little inconveniences that dissuade people from recycling, but little do we know about how much it can benefit can be had for our species over the long haul.
Lets bring this all back to the German, U.S comparison. In Germany, recycling is second nature and people are very conscientious. While, as I explained, the same cannot be said for that of America. I ask myself what is the one major difference, and in that question, lays the answer. It is not ONE single thing that is making the difference; it is a comprehensive strategy that requires cooperation from the government, the industry, and the citizens. This is something I foresee in Americaâs future, but only with time and hard work.
On the bright side, more and more citizens are starting to realize the societal benefits of recycling. Not only are citizens on board, but businesses in the DC area are also starting to look at waste in a different way. Take companies like Grid Waste and District Compost as examples. These companies are making the DC area more sustainable by establishing a compost market and increasing the efficiency of trash removal. Maybe getting lower prices on recycling removal might not increase our recycling rate, but I know it is a step in the right direction.
A combination of citizen commitment, industry accountability, and government regulation is the only combination that can propel our nation to a more sustainable waste policy, and it is about time we start fighting for that to happen. No matter how steep the slope, the reward will always out weight the work it takes to get there. Margaret Mead once said, âNever doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.â
1. Environmental Protection Agency
3. http://www.Earth911.com
4. http://www.no-burn.org/article.php?id=732
5. http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/paper/faqs.htm
6. http://www.all-recycling-facts.com/benefits-of-recycling.html
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