Research Paper on "Benefits of Recycling"

Research Paper 12 pages (3703 words) Sources: 20

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Recycling

What are the tangible benefits to be achieved when a community becomes involved in a recycling program? The first and most obvious benefit of recycling, as this paper will reflect, is the responsible reclaiming of the materials that can be reused through technology. The watchword here is conservation, because the planet does not have unlimited resources to be used and discarded. The benefit of conservation is clear: by conserving the Earth's resources, there will be plenty for future generations. The second very obvious reason for responsible recycling is that the planet is undergoing dramatic climate change, and by recycling items like mixed metals, steel, aluminum, paper, plastic and other materials, society eliminates the need to be producing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change -- global warming. Recycling is not a new concept, but given the urgent need to employ methods of conservation, it has been embraced internationally and has achieved success to varying degrees. This paper focuses on those strategies and programs that lead towards the reprocessing of reusable materials like aluminum and the recycling of the nation's waste materials through composting and other procedures.

The benefits of recycling, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)

Recycling and being conscious of the ecology of the planet is not an issue for any one country or region. It is an issue that touches every person on Earth. The WHO explains that a person's "carbon footprint" is that measure of the impact a person's activities have on the amount of carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere. The WHO offers suggestions to citizens around the world that relate to recycling and have benefits for people and the planet. Recycling one aluminum can saves 90% of the energy it takes to produce a new can. The emissions from the production of one aluminum can are significant: 9 kg of CO2 are produced to produce 1 kg of aluminum. Recycling 1 kg of paper (rather than tossing it in a landfill) saves 900 g of CO2 going into the atmosphere; and recycling 1 kg of recycled plastics saves 1.5 kg of CO2 entering the atmosphere (WHO).

Also, by taking lunch in a reusable lunch box -- and taking reusable cotton shopping bags to the grocery store -- saves the energy that is required to produce new lunch boxes and plastic or paper bags.

The benefits of recycling, according to the United Nations (UN)

"Diverting waste bound for landfills and putting it to good use… is an obvious and proven means for conserving land and resources, as we have known for a long time…" (Chertow, 2009). The author of this white paper for the United Nations notes that since the burning of fossil fuels -- in particular in large production units that produce electricity -- citizens should be acquiring those routine habits that do not require the use of electricity. And by recycling, individuals "free up land and capital for other opportunities that would have been required for the equivalent amount of goods to be made from virgin resources," Chertow explains.

Moreover, Chertow continues, study after study affirms the ability of scientists to "quantify greenhouse gas emissions from household waste on a lifecycle basis." Each of the lifecycle research projects comes up with a "clear, positive impact of recycling and reuse on reducing greenhouse gasses" (Chertow). Hence, because people recapture recyclable items rather than "discarding" them, the "embedded energy, water, and materials used to make the products in the first place" is avoided, the author writes.

Chertow reports that "fly ash" from coal plants can be used to make concrete. It's a shame that in the United States, "over 50% of coal fly ash" ends up in landfills. But that is not necessary, according to a British expert, who estimated that there were 600 million tons of fly ash produced by coal-fired plants in the year 2000. For ever ton of fly ash that is used to make concrete, there is a "duel benefit," according to Chertow. That dual benefit: not only is a ton of fly ash being "diverted from landfill downstream," but in fact nearly a ton of carbon dioxide is also being "avoided upstream" (into the atmosphere) (Chertow).

Starting a Recycling Program at Your Workplace

Saving the planet starts at home and at work, according to Trey Granger. What's the benefit of launching a recycling effort at work? First, it's the smart thing to do for intelligent, informed people in any location; and secondly, it can actually earn money for the office. It's not very difficult, and it can lower the carbon footprint of the office where a person works. After all, the EPA estimates that "40% of all waste is generated in the workplace," hence, businesses should take the matter to heart and do what Granger suggests. First someone has to take a leadership position; next there needs to be recycle bins placed in "high-traffic areas," perhaps the room where people take their breaks, or in the kitchen -- or near the copying machine (where a lot of paper products can be recycled).

The bins must be labeled, of course, and in clear, bold font, what should to into the bin should be clearly indicated. For example, "White office paper" would go into one bin, and any special instructions should be included (like, "please remove staples"). Avoiding contamination is essential to a successful program.

Once the bins are in place and well-marked (a blue one if possible gives the strong impression of recycling), a company-wide email should be sent out. Of course the custodial staff must be informed, lest they mix recycle with trash. For the truly ambitious, green-thinking leader in the office, there should be an extra bin of course for aluminum and the local recycle company needs to be alerted and asked to do a pick up once a month. After each pickup of the recycled materials, that green-thinking, ambitious person should post a sign where all employees will see it (or a memo that goes out to everyone) that indicates something to the effect of: Thanks to your wonderful cooperation, our company today diverted "X" number of pounds of waste from the landfill, and also, we raised $31.44 from aluminum and glass that we can use for our coffee purchases!

The Literature -- Annotated Bibliography

Baumann, Peter. "Curbside recycling comes with education." Laramie Boomerang.

Retrieved June 17, 2011, from http://www.laramieboomerang.com. 2011.

This article presents the kind of educational outreach that was used in Laramie, Colorado, to coax residents into recycling. Laramie City Manager Janine Jordan understood that only about 15% of Laramie's population was actually recycling. Some residents were upset at having to pay $1.93 per receptacle, and they didn't like that the city forced them to participate. "Denver does it for free," some of the residents complained. Yes, Jordan replied, but Denver charges a $14 per month per household property tax that pays for the recycling. The benefits to Laramie residents can be seen as taxpayer savings, because their landfill is becoming jam-packed, and the cost of creating a new one is millions of dollars, which taxpayers will foot the bill for. So, recycling keeps tons and tons of waste out of the landfill each year; this article shows the benefits in the big picture of recycling.

BioCycle World. "New Report on Restaurant Recycling." 52.6. (2011): 1-6. Retrieved

June 17, 2011, from: http://www.jgpress.com/archives/_free/002359.html.

This very recent report shows positive signs that America's restaurants are getting involved in a serious way with recycling. The benefits to restaurants -- besides being fully responsible for the waste they generate vis-a-vis conservation and sustainability -- is that "the majority of consumers -- 60% -- prefer to patronize restaurants with recycling programs. In other words, responsible businesses profit because people are drawn to conservation-minded venues. In this report, a nationwide survey of 500 restaurant owners and managers reveals that "65%… have a recycling program in place, and 13% participate in composting programs." Moreover, three out of four of the 500 restaurants use bags, paper products, and food containers that are manufactured from recycled materials.

Bogdan, Jennifer. "Recycling program benefits students, environment." Observer-Dispatch.

Retrieved June 16, 2011, from http://www.uticaod.com. 2009.

An example of how recycling benefits a community is to be found in this article. Students in the Oriskany Central School District (one elementary school and a junior-senior high school) have been participating in a recycling program for the past five years. They have managed to cut waste significantly; in fact the previous contact the district had with a waste management company cost $10,500 a year, but due to the reduce amount of waste, the new contract is $2,700 less, hence a great savings for taxpayers. "Maybe it doesn't sound like that much," said superintendent of buildings and grounds, Brett LaSalle; but it the community saves money in one place they can use it in another place that benefits the children directly.

EarthTalk. "Do the Benefits of Recycling Outweigh the Costs?" About.com. Retrieved June 18,

2011, from… READ MORE

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