Recycling Is an Important Process That Saves Resources Essay Example

the chances of trash getting dumped into landfills and thus reduce land, water, and air pollution. Most landfills consist of tons of decomposed trash that give off foul, toxic gases that can pose significant health risks when inhaled. The danger mainly affects those who live close to such areas. Studies have shown that there is a high prevalence of several forms of cancers amongst women and men living close to landfills (MacBride, 2011). In this regard, landfills are a significant risk factor for cancers. Living close to landfills has also been noted to have detrimental effects on the body size of children, i.e. Causes slow growth (MacBride, 2011). Besides the gaseous pollution, there is also an increased danger of pathogen bacterial growth that can result in disease outbreaks. The best counter-strategy in this instance is to avoid using plastic paper and plastic bags.

Aside from the adverse effects on human health, the emission of methane gas in landfills leads to global warming and climate change. Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas. It is produced during composting, and its chief source in landfills is food wastes (Tammemagi, 1999). Composting is a natural biological process that entails the microbial breakdown of organic matter in the presence of oxygen. Thus, cutting down the amount of organic wastes, and more so food items can curtail the emission of methane significantly. The much organic matter that constitutes the greater proportion of human trash can be made into useful compost rather than being dumped in landfills (Tammemagi, 1999). This initiative would see to the attainment of a clean environment if it were enacted as law.

Recycling also leads to cost-saving. This is

more so true in manufacturing where the recycling of already gathered reusable components such as container packages saves costs in terms of disposal space, the amount of energy needed to make new parts and shipping costs. The recycling of elements such as metal, glass, and paper as raw materials for production processes cuts down the prices of raw materials significantly. If recycling were to be enforced as law, much revenue would be saved (Goodship, 2008).

Although recycling is undoubtedly beneficial, the mandatory recycling of all garbage can, in some instances, result in a waste of resources because the cost of recycling the garbage may exceed the cost of its natural disposal. This case mainly applies to yard wastes such as tree limbs torn off by hurricanes whose salvage may involve their shipment to landfills located miles away from their original situation. Recycling in such instances may be unnecessary (Denison, 1996).

Also, errors may occur in the recycling process, which can lead to improper disinfection of components such as containers for food packaging. The reuse of such elements can cause disease outbreaks and endanger lives. The chances of occurrence of such events exist because human beings are not perfect and make mistakes from time to time (Aquino, 1995).

In addition, mandatory recycling, in some sense, violates the principles of human morality. Forcing individuals to do things undermines their freedom of choice. As a matter of fact, it changes nothing. People will only be recycled because of the consequences of not doing so rather than because they see the benefits. In this respect, recycling should be voluntary rather than compulsory (MacBride, 2011).
In all, recycling has a lot of significance in

the world today, especially in the light of global challenges such as climate change. The failure to recycle is detrimental, and this is evident in the increase pollution, poor health, as well as climate change. Due to such hazards and the reluctance of the majority to salvage their salvageable wastes, recycling should be made mandatory so that a healthy environment can be achieved and save the planet from a possible catastrophe in future.

References

1. Aquino, J. T. (1995). Waste Age and Recycling Times: Recycling Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
2. Denison, R. A. (1996). Environmental life cycle comparisons of recycling, landfilling, and incineration: A review of recent studies. Annual Review of Environmental Resources, 21(2): 191-237.
3. Goodship, V. (2008). Introduction to Plastics Recycling (2nd Ed.). Shropshire: Smithers Rapra Press.
4. MacBride, S. (2011). Recycling Reconsidered: The Present Failure and Future Promise of Environmental Action in the United States. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
5. Tammemagi, H. Y. (1999). The Waste Crisis: Landfills, Incinerators, and the Search for a Suitable Future. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.