Across the world today there is an unequal distribution in the generation of waste. While Americans only represent around 5% of the world’s population they generate 30% of the worlds total garbage (Recycling Coalition of Utah). Unlike other places, such as Europe in which there is a higher focus on recycling (Gordon), less than 2% of total waste in the United States is recycled. One of the major problems with this lack of recycling, and thus high waste production, is that this means that the waste must go somewhere. Unfortunately, the main places that the waste ends up going is into the oceans and into landfills. While recycling provides many benefits, these benefits are also met with challenge of effectively, and in a cost-efficient manner, separating post-consumptive goods based on their material type (Recycling Coalition of Utah).
While the statistics on recycling in the United States show that there is a low amount of recycling, there has been a recent push to increase the level of recycling. In fact, since 2012, recycling of municipal garbage within the United States has increased by 34.5%. One of the main reasons for this significant increase in recycling is due to increased public awareness. Using public campaigns individuals are now aware of the benefits of recycling, and the risks for environmental damage should they not recycle. As well, in certain cases, producers are now beginning to appreciate the cost saving benefits of recycling. Furthermore, governments have also contributed to aiding recycling, as a way to combat increasing energy costs of producing new materials (United States Environmental Protection Agency).
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One of the major benefits of recycling is that it can lead to energy savings. For aluminum products, recycling can save 95% of the total energy and for steel there is a 60% reduction in energy costs. For other products such as paper there is a 40% reduction, whereas for glass there is a 30% reduction in energy glass. However, while the initial energy savings are less, glass does not lose its properties and therefore can be continually recycled, further increasing the energy savings. With respect to plastics, while they cannot be perpetually recycled like glass, they can be converted into lesser-grade plastics. Alternatively, plastic can be turned into other products including carpets, furniture and fleece jackets. Because of the high energy savings associated with aluminum, simply recycling one aluminum can results in saving enough energy to power your television for three hours (Recycling Coalition of Utah).
When people do not recycle there are many negative outcomes which can occur. First, one of these outcomes is that of pollution. Lack of recycling increases emissions which results in higher levels of pollution and contributes to global warming. Lack of recycling also leads to increased filling of the landfills with toxic waste, due to the chemicals in the products, which leads to destruction of our environment. In addition, as lack of recycling leads to garbage not only in landfills, but also in the ocean, this contributes to the destruction of natural habitat. One major problem with this destruction, is that it causes animals to lose their habitat and can lead to the extinction of certain species if changes are not made (SouthCoast Energy Challenge).
Overall the major goal of recycling is to help reclaim waste materials. These materials include used glass bottles, paper, plastic and used aluminum (Recycling Coalition of Utah). These materials can then be used to manufacture new products, thereby reducing the levels of pollution and preventing the destruction of natural habitats. It is for these reasons, that recycling has been, and will continue to be, an important aspect of life for the past thirty years.
- Gordon, Rachelle. “What Is Europe Doing to Combat Waste That We Can Learn From?” Recycle Nation August 5 2015. https://recyclenation.com/2015/08/recycling-rates-u-s-vs-europe/https://recyclenation.com/2015/08/recycling-rates-u-s-vs-europe/
- Recycling Coalition of Utah. “How Much Do American Throw Away?” https://utahrecycles.org/get-the-facts/
- SouthCoast Energy Challenge. “What Happens If We Don’t Recycle?” http://southcoastenergychallenge.org/2012/08/recycle/
- United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures 2013.” US EPA Washington, DC, 2015.
