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Amber Marquart
Mr. Johnson
Eng. 1201 KO1
16 March 2021
How can recycling help improve the environment by becoming a new energy source?
Recycling is something everyone knows about, even though not everyone does it.
Recycling has been shown to improve the environment since it is reducing the amount of trash in
the landfills, therefore reducing the amount of garbage on the ground. There are so many things
you can recycle like paper, plastic, steel, and the list goes on. Different cities, states, and
countries are trying to use the materials they recycle for something good, something that can
benefit them. One of these benefits is that some places have been able to use their recycled
materials as an energy source which saves them money. So, how can recycling help improve the
environment by becoming a new energy source? What other benefits are lingering from the
possibility of recycling?
Recycling has gone through its ups and downs throughout the years. Some people believe
it is worth it, whereas some people think it’s pointless. People began to recycle more back in the
1960s once they learned about all of the environmental benefits. “In the 1930s, only about 7
percent of the nation's municipal solid waste was recycled; by 1999 that figure had climbed to
almost 28 percent.” (Recycling) Although this was an improvement, some people are still
reluctant to recycle due to the information that has been found. Some cities are taking the
recycled materials and burning them in an incinerator to produce energy, which might discourage
those who want to start recycling. Even if every city resorted to this, recycling can still have
many benefits when it comes to the environment. “Images of putrefying waste in landfill sites,
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generating greenhouse gas emissions and polluting the environment, are one of the most
compelling reasons for recycling.” (Wheeler) Recycling has gone through many phases of
success and failure, which is why learning more about it and how it can become a new energy
source is important. Hopefully as time progresses, we will finally find a better solution to this
problem.
There are countless benefits from recycling and most of them have to do with the
environment. One of the most notable benefits is reducing the amount of waste and garbage in
the landfill, therefore conserving more land. This is pretty self-explanatory since recycling has to
do with reusing products and materials, which means it doesn’t go to the landfill. But this isn’t
the only positive benefit. “Recycling saves resources and energy, reduces pollution, conserves
land, and, in the long run, usually saves money.” (Recycling) The act of recycling can help your
community save money. This is because it costs money for the authorities to manage, get, and
then dispose of it. Some private facilities will charge you a fee for each ton of waste you have, so
you might be having to pay a hefty check at the end. The more you recycle, the more money you
will save in the long run. Recycling can also produce more jobs. “For example, if you're putting
all of your dry recyclables into one box, these materials will need to be taken to a special facility
that employs people to sort them by hand, alongside machine processing.” (Wheeler)
Over the years, places around the world have also been able to use recycled materials as a
new energy source. “Counties and cities turn the vapors emitted from rotten banana peels, paper
towels, and other trash into electricity, heat and even fuel for vehicles.” (Watson) This is a huge
improvement because it produces way less pollution compared to other ways we get our
electricity, making the air cleaner with recycled materials. Using these materials for a new
energy source can also prevent further environmental damage and global warming. In landfills,
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methane gas is produced. This gas is very potent and it’s one of the more known causes of global
warming. The only downfall of using garbage and recycled materials as energy is that it isn’t
sustainable. To use this as an energy source, you now have to rely on the community to throw
away even more materials for it to be worth it. This is still a good option for the garbage and
recycling issue since you aren’t letting all of the gas go, you are using some of it for energy.
Since people have discovered that recycling can produce energy, but it can also save
energy. “If you look at the big picture of what it takes to create a product from scratch -- to get
the raw materials, transport them, process them and manufacture them -- making goods with
recycled material like paper, plastic, glass, and metal is a major energy saver.” (Frequently
Asked) Everything you recycle, even if it’s just one item, can help save energy in the long run.
When we throw away recycled materials, we are losing a lot of potential energy. It has been
estimated that fifteen power plants equal the amount of energy that recycled materials can
produce if they aren’t thrown away. “Last year alone, recycling bottles and cans saved enough
energy to power up to 522,000 homes in California.” (Frequently Asked) This is a huge
accomplishment for the recycling community since it shows that what you recycle can truly
make a big difference.
Now, everyone knows what recycling is, but do they know what they can recycle? There
are so many different materials that you can recycle and the most known recyclable materials are
paper, plastic, and metals. Paper is the recyclable item that most people think about, and it's for a
good reason. “Paper products, including newsprint, office paper, cardboard boxes, and paper
bags, are among the most easily recycled materials.” (Recycling) Paper can be used to create
new products such as paper towels and tissues, whereas cardboard can be reused to make new
cardboard. Aluminum is another item a lot of people think of since it is usually a can of some
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sort. This is one of the best things to recycle since to produce aluminum, the U.S. must import
ore from other countries. Recycling will make us less dependent on importing the ore, as well as
saving us money since you have to pay to get it imported. One item that most people are unaware
of is glass. The only problem with this is that it must be sorted based on its color, which then will
cost more money to hire someone to do it. There is so much in your everyday life that you can
recycle, you just need to be aware if there are any restrictions.
People still may wonder, why is it important to recycle? There is a multitude of reasons
which have shown a huge benefit to our environment and ecosystem. Every year that goes by,
more and more garbage is taken to the landfill. It has been estimated that every single person
produces around seven pounds worth of garbage every day which is crazy. That is a lot of trash
that must go to the landfill every day, and soon it will be too much. Recycling just the bare
minimum can exponentially improve the environment, your city, and the amount of waste
produced. Everyone should recycle what they can because it saves production costs, our landfills,
and it can reduce the damage to the environment.
After finding and reading various articles about recycling, what you can recycle, how it
can benefit the environment, and how it can be used as a new energy source, I think there are
multiple answers to my question. It’s pretty clear that recycling is something everyone is capable
of doing no matter how little it may be. Garbage and recycled materials can be used as a new
energy source even though it isn’t the most sustainable. Just because it isn’t sustainable doesn’t
mean we should stop trying to find more solutions. I believe there are other ways that we can use
the recycled materials for our benefit, we just have to discover them first. For now, everyone
should learn more about recycling and how it helps the environment. The more people who are
educated on this matter, the more people will start recycling and trying to find new ways to help.
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Works Cited
“Frequently Asked Questions: Benefits of Recycling.” Stanford University, PSSI/Stanford
Recycling Land, Buildings & Real Estate. https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling
/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-benefits-recycling#:~:text=By
%20reducing%20air%20and%20water,contribute%20to%20global%20climate
%20change. Accessed 16 Mar. 2021.
Miltimore, Jon. "America Finally Admits Recycling Doesn't Work." Gale Opposing Viewpoints
Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/app
s/doc/XQBHVW364981682/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=a9fbff97 Accessed
16 Mar. 2021. Originally published as "America Finally Admits Recycling Doesn’t
Work," Foundation for Economic Education, 21 Mar. 2019.
"Recycling." Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library, Macmillan Reference USA,
2003. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3011400208/OV
IC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=de8d2a22 Accessed 16 Mar. 2021.
Watson, Traci. "Communities' garbage goes green -- but in a good way." USA Today, 12 Feb.
2007, p. 04A. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/ A1592091
97/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=f2dbfd34 Accessed 16 Mar. 2021.
Wheeler, Katy. "Is there any point in recycling?" Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection,
Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/ XPZTQT79
3774897/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=7b1d4143 Accessed 16 Mar. 2021.
Originally published as "Is there any point in recycling?" The Conversation, 21 Jan.
2019.
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