Category: Recycling

Introduction

Recycling is a method of waste management that entails converting waste and other materials used in the past into products that can be used again in other applications. It helps to reduce the amount of energy used, the consumption of fresh raw materials, air pollution, water pollution caused by landfilling, and the emissions of greenhouse gases. The objective of this essay is to examine the drawbacks associated with recycling.

Negative Impacts of Recycling

Since recycling is not always cost-effective, it requires a substantial initial investment. The establishment of a brand-new waste recycling facility requires a substantial financial outlay. Among the expenses associated with this endeavor is the purchase of a variety of utility vehicles; the modernization of the recycling unit, the disposal of waste and chemicals; and the organization of helpful programs and seminars to educate the community. Recycling center locations are almost always unsanitary, dangerous, and unsightly. Any waste accumulation in a single location is an ideal breeding ground for debris formation and the spreading of infectious diseases.

The quality of products made from recycled materials does not match that of products made from virgin materials. These kinds of products almost always consist of trashed overused and fragile waste material. Recycling has not been widely adopted and developed, although it is more critical in reducing pollution rates (Wang et al. 100023). Unfortunately, recycling remains a relatively minor contributor to long-term success. Recycling increases both the energy consumed and the amount of pollution generated.

Recycling massive amounts of waste necessitates transporting, sorting, cleaning, and processing waste in separate factories. Each of these processes will require energy and may produce byproducts that can contaminate the soil, air, and water. Even vehicles used to collect recyclables will increase air pollution because they emit already-present pollutants (Wang et al. 100021). When waste is recycled, harmful pollutants are released into the environment through decomposition. During the recycling process, contaminants and toxins present in the original material, such as lead paint or aerosol cans, may be transferred to the recycled product.

Conclusion

The amount of energy that is used and the amount of pollution that is produced both go up when recycling is done. The environments in which recycling centers are located are almost invariably unsanitary, hazardous, and unsightly. The accumulation of any waste in a single location creates an environment that is conducive to the formation of debris as well as the spread of infectious diseases.

Work Cited

Wang, Yumei, et al. Enhancing Food Security and Environmental Sustainability: A Critical Review of Food Loss and Waste Management. Resources, Environment and Sustainability, vol. 4, 2021, p. 100023.

Integrated Water Strategies (IWS) has developed a design to recycle water to make it reusable. The website is a front-end of their company showing various services that the company offers in the field of water recycling. A basic theme that the company promotes is the education of the need for clean and pure water, while their methodology to recycle water is to use multiple filtration systems to treat the water.

IWS is an organization that uses stormwater, wastewater, greywater, and rainwater to re-use for irrigational or greening purposes. The company creates landscapes, wetlands, etc. to filter the water naturally or through filtering stations for repeated usage. The company builds a Designed Ecosystem that can do most processes naturally on-site by mechanically filtering and by biologically and chemically exterminating pollutants in the wastewater stream. For stormwater, the company develops channels through which the ground runoff water gets either irrigated or stored in ponds or reservoirs for future use.

Natural Wetlands have been filtering and purifying water since olden times. Our ecology is such that it has its own cycle that works itself without human interference. For example, the natural wetlands soak runoff water from rains, ice melts before it can enter the streams. During its soaking process, nutrients are absorbed, contaminants are extracted through the extensive roots and microbe system in plants. Upland areas, low marshes, and high marshes perform filtration and treatment of nitrogen after which the water goes into the stream and rivers are effectively cleaned.

Conventional water treatment is a process involving three steps. The primary step is to separate the solids from the liquids. Solids like sediment or metals increase the turbidity of water making it slower to flow while even higher levels of total suspended solids can cloud the water and thus prevent light and oxygen from reaching aquatic life. Filtration makes it easier to remove such solids from liquids while the solids remain in the system till they break down. The secondary step is to use aerobic bacteria to help the organic matter and contaminants break down. The last step is most cost-intensive since here the removal of nutrients from the water takes place. This is an important step to protect the water from algae or eutrophication which tends to bloom as the water goes downstream. Nitrogen treatment requires a two-step nitrification-denitrification process.

Vegetation from treated water is an important part of water treatment and reuse. Treated water is even better as compared to normal water for trees, shrubs, flowers, etc. The most important part of this vegetation is the production of tiny microbes that eat pollutants and convert them into harmless gases. The diversity of plant type also plays a major role in efficient treatment where extensive colonies of microbes can foster.

Specifically Integrated Water Strategies mimic the natural cleaning process by creating their own ecosystem to clean wastewater just like it is done naturally. This design for the nature by nature is effective in providing an environmentally sensitive alternative to conventional wastewater management.

Reference

IWS (2009). Water Recycling. Integrated Water Strategies.

Introduction

Human beings lives and health depend on the diversity of life on the Earth. A healthy planet provides air and water, gives food for people and other species. However, pollutions, cutting down the woods, global warming with the greenhouse effect threaten the world and its biodiversity leading to the extinction of species and damage to ecosystems at record levels. Therefore, when people endanger the Earth, they cause harm to their health and survival. If there were a project to save the planet, waste recycling would be the number one task along with sustainable consumption. Despite recent advances in the waste industry, the amount of garbage disposed of daily requires increasing recycling efforts as careless waste management is fraught with environmental and economic perils.

Main body

The Earth is a system where all the components are connected and interrelated, similar to any other universe formation. Accumulation of waste on the planet is inevitably increasing every day and leads to ecological catastrophe. The main advantage of recycling household waste is the elimination of environmentally hazardous situations caused by large landfills. Throwaways disposed at the burial sites begin to rot, resulting in the proliferation of bacteria and toxic products, which can penetrate groundwater and contaminate the soil and air. Moreover, landfills occupy massive territories, which the government could use more rationally for more worthwhile projects. Consequently, by burying synthetic garbage in the ground, humanity contributes to global warming and, ultimately, to climate change, as waste emits greenhouse gasses.

It is generally agreed that environmental pollution forced by garbage disposal affects wildlife ecology. Thus, owing to careless waste management, faunas natural habitat is easily destroyed by climate change, and their food is spoiled by poisonous substances appearing in the soil. For instance, increased plastic recycling can contribute to cleaner oceans and seas. Therefore, the use of recycled products will reduce the depletion of natural resources, including rainforests, lakes, and rivers, which are the areas of animal habitats.

Waste recycling has a beneficial effect on the environment and allows for more efficient use of precious resources and materials. Some may argue that sorting and recycling processes cost a significant sum of money. On the contrary, sorting household waste dramatically simplifies manufacturing products from secondary raw materials, which reduces the costs for enterprises and the prices of future products. For example, collecting waste paper can save up to 69 percent of enterprises energy and save about 2 tons of wood for every 1000 kg of paper products (Kumar 32). Moreover, trees absorb carbon dioxide, which also restrains the greenhouse effect on the planet. Thus, recycling is favorable for the American economy, as the costs of irreplaceable natural raw materials in the production of new goods are reduced.

Other benefits of waste sorting and recycling include the creation of new jobs as recycling organizations require staff. The popularization of eco-friendly practices will result in an increased number of plants fabricating and distributing recycled products. Thus, the business will enhance employment opportunities and boost the countrys economy. Besides, progress in the recycling procedure may promote the overall growth of technology use in other spheres of life.

Against the backdrop of global warming, ecological anxiety has arisen among citizens. According to the Pew Research Center, 60% of Americans are worried about climate change and consider it a major threat to the country (Kennedy). Moreover, 51% of U.S. residents feel helpless in the face of this peril (Kennedy). Therefore, recycling programs involving residents would help people become more responsible and connected to the fate of their environment. Furthermore, eco-life philosophy may encourage people to unite and feel that they benefit their neighborhood, society, and the planet. It is certain, that working on environmental awareness is a rather long and laborious process, which may take more than one decade. However, the level of ecological awareness is relatively high nowadays, and it means that society does not stand idly by but understands the importance of taking the measures to avert global pollution. Nevertheless, people need to be continuously informed about the threats of non-recycling and educated to reutilize properly. Thus, culture becomes the primary motivational power, which promotes successful recycling.

Conclusion

In general, recycling is an integral part of the conscious consumption concept. It assumes that people need to buy fewer things, choose products without packaging, withdraw from using disposable goods, buy high-quality, long-lived items, and recycle all the garbage which can be reused. A person, who starts to sort garbage, becomes less prone to spontaneous spending, pays more attention to what they buy and in what packaging. It is also an excellent opportunity to save money on things the population does not need. As a result, waste sorting has a positive effect on peoples lifestyles and makes them rethink their consumption attitudes

Now, at the height of the Anthropocene, humans play a decisive role in the Earths ecosystem. The existence of other species and the state of the planets resources entirely depend on peoples activity. The results of successful or unsuccessful environmental policy are instantly reflected in the world around them. Therefore, it is crucial to consume natural goods sustainably and recycle afterward to create a healthier environment, a responsible society, and an enjoyable experience of residence on the planet.

Works Cited

Kennedy, Brian. U.S. Concern about Climate Change Is Rising, but Mainly Among Democrats. Pew Research Center, 2020, Web.

Kumar, Vijay. Recycling of Waste and Used Papers: A Useful Contribution in Conservation of Environment: A Case Study. Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, vol. 14, no. 4, 2017, pp. 3136. IOS Press. 

Syllogism

Companies that do not recycle, increase contamination levels. Those who increase contamination levels should be involved in environmental protection activity. Companies that do not recycle should be involved in environmental protection activities.

Introduction

Recycling is generally regarded as an important and inevitable part of environmental protection, as well as the saving of natural resources. The constantly increasing population of the planet requires an increasing amount of products, energy, and food. Hence, recycling is one of the most important aspects of humanitys survival. Regardless of the increased expenses of the recycling process in comparison with producing energy from rough resources, this is the only way to save the natural resources of the planet and avoid the energetic crisis. Recycling is also intended for decreasing the amount of toxic and industrial wastes that may seriously violate the biological balance, and cause biosphere contamination. If companies do not implement recycling technologies, governments should forcibly make them utilize toxic wastes properly, and use alternative sources of fuel. If companies refuse to use alternative sources, they should be involved in environmental protection activity by recycling industrial wastes and renewing natural resources.

Discussion

Considering the fact that ecological problems are becoming increasingly serious, recycling is the obligatory stage of industrial manufacturing. Some states have already implemented the necessary legislation for developing recycling practices. Nevertheless, the best stimulant for recycling development should be closely linked with fining and encouraging companies to implement recycling technologies. Hence, the main aspect of recycling development and implementation of the closed manufacturing cycle.

The recyclable materials provide numerous opportunities for recycling. In general, it is stated that recycling is more expensive then utilization, hence companies prefer utilization instead of recycling. (Curlee, 175) This should be the basis of fining system: the companies should be fined with the larger sums than they are able to save by avoiding recycling and implementing the closed manufacturing cycles. As it is stated by Folz (2004, 336), the materials which may be recycled involve glass, paper, tin and other metals, as well as plastic and textiles (mainly synthetic).

Additionally, the legislation measures should be linked with imposing restrictions and embargo, as the ecological problems are increasing constantly. The necessity to implement the recycling technologies should be legally confirmed, and the organizations that to not observe legislative norms should be legally obliged perform the proper utilization of toxic wastes.

Alternative Sources

Developing the renewable resources technology, as well as implementing these technologies into various manufacturing processes require additional investment. On the one hand, companies and industrial groups should be interested in purchasing and implementing these technologies, on the other hand, they should be stimulated by governments and world organizations to implement them. Nevertheless, there are thousands of industrial objects that are not willing to implement the closed cycle manufacturing, regardless of the fine sizes. The solution of this problem should be linked with obliging them to implement the alternative fuel consumption technologies, and using renewable sources. This obligation will stimulate the companies avoid fines by implementing the ecologically safer technologies, and provide the sufficient developing engine for the renewable resources and technologies. As for the legislative background of these practices, it should be stated that international legislative experience should be considered. Lounsbury (29) gave the following clarifications on this aspect:

The final government regulation towards increased demand is recycled product labeling. When producers are required to label their packaging with amount of recycled material in the product (including the packaging), consumers are better able to make educated choices. Standardized recycling labeling can also have a positive effect on supply of recyclates if the labeling includes information on how and where the product can be recycled.

In the light of this statement, it should be emphasized that the governmental measures should not be restricted by fines only. If consuming ability is regarded as a powerful tool for controlling the activity of a company, the government should influence this parameter directly. In fact, economic fining may not be a fully effective tool, while social propaganda may be regarded as a consuming fine for any company. Consequently, this may be used for stimulating companies invest the R & D for renewable sources and implementation of the closed cycle technologies into the manufacturing process.

Renewal of Natural Resouces

The renewable sources should be renewed constantly in order to avoid various disasters associated with the increased consumption levels. Considering the fact that the renewable resources such as timber and carbohydrates (such as peat) are renewed slowly, while solar energy, wind and wave (ocean) energy are regarded as constantly renewable, the companies should be encouraged to use these sources as the main energy source. Additionally, the companies that are fined for consumption should be obliged to care of the renewal of the resources. The alternatives are as follows: planting energetic forests, forestation of the polluted regions and cleanup of water resources. These measures will either stimulate companies decrease the amounts of industrial wastes, or promote the development of renewal technologies.

In spite of the losses that companies will experience by participating in the renewal processes, the developing of these technologies is featured with the decreasing costs of recycling, renewal and using the alternative energy sources. Hence, the companies should be either explained that the investment and renewal will be compensated, or oblige the companies implement participate in renewal forcibly. (Folz, 2001, 225)

The international experience of sources renewal claims that these processes are required for saving the biodiversity and balance of species, as violation of these parameters will inevitably cause the ecologic disaster, while the scales of this disaster may be immense. Considering the fact that legislation is mainly restricted to fining or imposing embargoes, obligation to invest the technology development and research activities associated with renewing energy sources, the ecologic problem solution will reach the high level. (Zimring, 35)

Conclusion

The environmental protection techniques that are described in this paper are closely associated with encouraging companies develop and implement the recycling technologies, as these are the inevitable measures needed for avoiding the energy consumption crisis, as well as improving the environmental protection techniques. Considering the fact that companies experience losses while resorting to recycling, the fines should be proportionally higher in comparison with these losses. Additionally, companies should be explained that these technologies are compensated in the long-term perspective, while the fines are not, and the companies will be obliged to resort to consuming renewable and alternative sources of energy and fuel. This will ensure that the finances spent for research and development goes to a meaningful use. In long run, the operational costs will decrease by adopting environmental protection measures such as recycling of waste materials rather than producing new ones.

Works Cited

Curlee, T. Randall. The Economic Feasibility of Recycling: A Case Study of Plastic Wastes. New York: Praeger, 2002.

Folz, David H. Municipal Recycling Performance: A Public Sector Environmental Success Story. Public Administration Review 59.4 (2004): 336.

Folz, David H. Recycling Program Design, Management, and Participation: A National Survey of Municipal Experience. Public Administration Review 51.3 (2001): 222-231.

Lounsbury, Michael. Institutional Sources of Practice Variation: Staffing College and University Recycling Programs. Administrative Science Quarterly 46.1 (2001): 29.

Zimring, Carl A. Cash for Your Trash: Scrap Recycling in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005.

Greywater Definition

Water is vital for the creation and sustainability of life on the planet and is essential for growing crops. Because the majority of water on Earth is salty and is not appropriate for irrigation purposes, the scientific community should assess the possibility of greywater use and its effects on the crops. This endeavor would increase the amount of recycled water and allow people to irrigate lands where freshwater is scarce.

Greywater is all water, except for the water that was subject to fecal contamination, which is generated in households and office buildings. Sinks, showers, baths, dishwashers, and washing machines all contribute to the generation of greywater (Finley et al. 2009). It generally contains fewer pathogens, thus making it safer and more convenient to recycle and reuse for purposes other than drinking (Finley et al. 2009). For instance, such water could be used for toilet flushing, irrigation of crops, or landscape. There are also benefits for wastewater subsystems as the recycling of greywater reduces the amount of total wastewater that needs to be conveyed by wastewater subsystems.

Greywater Integration

The effects of greywater use in households have been previously assessed. SafetySafety largely depends on the treatment quality, and inadequate cleaning processes may lead to adverse health outcomes (Maimon et al. 2014). A higher risk of being infected by rotaviruses is when greywater is used in gardens, but it can be mitigated by drip irrigation, usage of gloves, and other safety measures (Maimon et al. 2014). It can be concluded that with suitable treatment methods and disinfection, the required level of safety can be reached.

Greywater Usage in Irrigation

Usage of greywater is mostly dependant on the availability of greywater systems, as they vary in costs and the levels of treatment. There is still widespread concern about the sanitary implications of using greywater for irrigating edible crops because the long-term influence on health has not yet been thoroughly studied (Allen et al. 2010). Financing is another major obstacle to the widespread introduction of greywater systems (Allen et al. 2010). Therefore, greywater use has not yet fully integrated into current farming practices. However, it is accepted that possible effects are directly related to the constituents of greywater. For instance, if the water contains saline, it may adversely impact crop productivity (Allen et al. 2010). This conjecture was proved by Pinto et al. (2010) in their study, which shows that constant use of greywater in irrigation leads to eventual soil degradation. Other significant effects were not observed, which creates an opportunity for further research in this field.

Questions, Predictions, and Hypotheses

This study aims to establish a more distinctive picture of the implications of greywater use in growing plants. More specifically, the research will attempt to determine whether there is a relationship between water treatment methods and plant height. The presence of potentially harmful chemicals in greywater leads to a hypothesis that the greywater will result in shorter plants in the experiment because such water is not pure and has long-term adverse effects on soil health. The researchers predict that in case there is indeed a relationship between how the water is treated and the plant height, usage of tap water will yield taller plants because such water is much more nutrient and safe to consume.

The second question this study pursues to answer is whether there is a difference in the relationship between the length of the largest leaf and the width of the largest leaf when different water treatment methods are applied. The hypothesis is that plants that are nurtured with greywater will result in smaller leaves both in terms of length and width than the ones nourished with regular tap water because of the difference in nutritional contents of water. The researchers predict that tap water will yield plants with longer and wider leaves because the nutritional content of such water is more favorable and suitable for plant growth.

The last question concentrates on the relationship between leaf count and the greywater treatment methods. Various impurities and other constituents of greywater should affect the total leaf count of each plant. It is predicted that clean water results in more leaves as such water is more appropriate for the watering of crops and plants. If these hypotheses are proved, more research will be needed for the development of adequate treatment methods that are both cost-effective and bear no adverse implications. A substantial amount of effort should be made to promote the usage of greywater in households and farms and the long-term effects should be mitigated.

To summarize, the researchers propose that the adverse effects of greywater use are inevitable with current treatment methods. Soil degradation, decrease in crop productivity, negative impacts on both plant and human health are the present influences of greywater use. In such circumstances, it is not possible to urge the farming industry to switch to greywater systems for irrigation completely, as it would mean to put the long-term health and well-being of humans at potential risk.

Evo Morales once said: “Sooner or later, we will have to recognize that the Earth has rights too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans.”

Pollution is defined as the presence in our introduction into the environment of a substance that has harmful or poisonous effects. Single use plastic is definitely a massive problem in regards to pollution of marine life, but I do not believe that banning bottled water would be a constructive method of saving our beautiful planet.

There is a common catchphrase among people who don’t see pollution as a problem that says “the solution to pollution is dilution.” A National Geographic article written in 2010 states “we need to look no further than the New-Jersey dead zone or the thousand-mile-wide swath of decomposing plastic to see that this “dilution” policy has helped place a once flourishing ocean ecosystem on the brink of collapse.” (National Geographic, 2010)

There are many benefits to bottled water. Humans require a certain amount of water every day in order to remain healthy and there are unfortunately a number of obstacles that prevent us from acquiring a sufficient amount of water. It is said that simply carrying a bottle of water around as one does one’s day-to-day activities can promote increased water consumption, resulting in an improved lifestyle of humans. Bottled water also has the option of flavouring and added nutrients, which is a disruption of the monotonous flavor of standard water. This, as well as the addition of much needed nutrients and electrolytes that our bodies are in desperate need of, is also able to promise healthy drinking habits. Although tap water is prepared to be drinkable by careful hands, one runs the risk of one’s tap adding contaminants and impurities to the filtered water, contaminants that bottled water is undoubtedly missing. (The Water Depot, Inc)

Banning bottled water would also remove a healthy beverage option for the communities of South Africa, which would lead to the increase in the consumption of unhealthy carbonated soft drinks and would “remove a practical option for water storage and dissemination during times when municipal tap water supplies are contaminated” (ProCon.org, 2018). This article on the pros and cons of banning bottled water also states that a ban on bottled water is misguided as a pollution control method for the reason that other beverages are sold in containers that are equally, if not more harmful than plastic bottles.

Although I do not believe that bottled water should be banned, there are some undeniable pros to the boycott of water being sold in plastic bottles. About 70% of plastic bottles sold in America are not recycled; therefore banning bottled water would reduce waste and protect the environment. Banning bottled water would reduce financial costs since bottled water can cost between 400 and 2000 times more than tap water. Bottling water can also drain water sources since almost 64% of bottled water is taken from municipal supplies. (ProCon.org, 2018)

Despite all the good reasons as to why bottled water should be banned, if the human race simply disposed of their plastic in the proper manner, then the ban of water in plastic packaging would not be necessary to save the environment.

B. F. Skinner once said that the environment would continue to deteriorate until pollution practices are abandoned, which is why I believe that the problem at hand is not the plastic itself, but the way the human race is disposing of the plastic. There are many different methods of plastic waste disposal such as landfilling, incineration, recycling and biodegradation. Landfilling is considered “highly wasteful as it requires a vast amount of space and the chemical constituents and energy contained in plastic is lost in this disposal route”. Incineration has a tendency to cause negative effects on the environment and the health of living beings because of the hazardous substances that are released into the atmosphere as a result. Therefore, the most effective methods of plastic waste disposal are Recycling and Biodegradation. (Blog.nus, 2016)

If the people of the human race could stop blaming plastic and start looking for the root of the problem, then perhaps the level of pollution of the earth would not be as high as it is today. Every minute, the equivalent to one garbage truck’s worth of plastic is dumped into our oceans (Earth Day Network, 2018). Approximately eight million metric tons of plastic are propelled into the ocean every year. The reason for this is not the materials we are using, it is the method of which we are disposing these materials

Plastic recycling is “the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing the material into useful products.” When different types of plastic are melted together, they have a tendency to separate their phases (eg. water and oil) and solidify in these layers. These boundaries can cause weaknesses in the structure of the resulting material, which makes the plastic harder to recycle. There is a massive controversy associated with the use of plastic where people are under the impression that plastic is killing the environment because it is not biodegradable, however, the percentage of plastic that can be 100% recycled increases when manufacturers of packaged goods minimize the mixing of materials in their packaging. (Wikipedia)

Recycling has a number of benefits such as creating jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industry; saving energy, reducing greenhouse gas emission; and saving natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals. In the process of recycling, the first step is to find materials that can be recycled, which will not be a problem considering the previously mentioned amount of plastic currently in our oceans. Once the materials are found, the next step is to find a secondary use of the material. Since bottled water has a number of good and productive purposes, we can use the plastic and recycle it into bottles for water. Once the bottle has been used and thrown away, it can be sufficiently cleaned and then used as another water bottle. The third step of the recycling process is to purchase goods manufactured from recycled materials which can be seen on the label of the product (Residential Waste Systems, 2013)

Oceanographer Marcus Eriksen released a paper entitled “Plastic Pollution in the World’s Ocean” for which he and his team of researchers journeyed across all five of the ocean’s major gyres in order to collect samples. They came to the conclusion that there are over five trillion pieces of plastic polluting our oceans. This causes seals, turtles, and seabirds to constantly become trapped in rings of plastic. Creatures such as the albatross are also found frequently feeding on the plastic material that it mistakes for food. (Habbib, 2016)

In conclusion, based on the above information and evidence, I believe that bottled water should not be banned because there are much more important activities we could be performing in order to save our beautiful planet.

For many years now, climate change supposes a big threat to all of us since it affects every corner of the world and makes us think of all issues it causes in our daily lives more often than not, it also makes us wonder who is to be blamed for its bigger impact every year; however, the solutions are much scarce. Some of the most popular solutions are reduction, recycling, and composting, which is another form of recycling (EPA) yet because of its popularity and easy way of action to take part in for every person and age, it made me wonder if recycling was actually such a successful method and therefore it made me wonder, can recycling stop climate change?

While conducting my research I wanted to first focus on which countries were most affected by climate change and thus see if recycling has become a way of acting within the community, I found out that while climate change is severely affecting most African countries a majority of people in countries with the largest population such as Nigeria don’t know about the issue (Edem E. Selormey and Carolyn Logan, 2019). However, not everyone is bound to the same ignorance since in Gambia Isatou Ceesay, activist and social entrepreneur who was awarded a TIAW “Difference Maker” in Washington, DC realized plastic was 20% of all waste in the country, where despite the toxic fumes, women even use it in charcoal stoves (Max Riche). She founded a community recycling project called the “Njau Recycling and Income Generation” where she uses all types of waste such as plastic, rubber, and even old cassettes, and turns them into fashion accessories like purses and necklaces and even strong long life bags (Mike Webster, 2014). Today, Ceesay teaches women how to continue to create for the health of their country and the wealth of their community, while she also keeps on fighting to share with the government and therefore bring much-needed awareness (BBC Capital).

Surely, not only the Gambia has started to change the world since Sweden, as today, is one of the most motivational countries working against the threat of climate change, where its community shows outstanding solidarity. Even if Sweden counts with less than 0.2 percent of total global emissions its goals are as astonishing as wanting to reduce GHG emissions from what it was in 1990 by 40 percent this 2020 as for energy, in 2005 Sweden’s government created a tax relief to power related industries for them to help reduce energy use in exchange. Actually, the OECD Environmental Performance Review 2014 stated that Sweden is one of the leading countries coming up with environmentally friendly technologies such as biofuels, smart grids, etc. (Sweden tackles climate change, 2018).

Looking at all the amazing initiatives Sweden has taken, where does recycling take part? Well, Sweden counts with the outstanding number of 47% of all plastic recycled since each person every year recycle about two tons of waste and popular stores such as H&M give the opportunity to recycle your old clothes, granting the people with a discount. Not only that, but Sweden looks up to teaching people about the necessity of recycling by giving people money back when they do as simple as recycling aluminum cans and plastic bottles, this initiative has made it possible for the country to recycle yearly 1.8 billion bottles and cans (Dominic Hinde, 2019).

In addition to Sweden’s brightness, Germany is also takes part as one of the most recycling-aware countries having a recycling rate of 79 percent. Not only that but in 2015 Germany’s waste volume was 402.2 million metric tons, and from that 317.7 million were recycled just like Sweden, Germany counts on amazing technology that takes advantage of our planet’s natural resources such as solar, wind, biomass, and hydro energy. To support this culture of recycling among the German communities, they also do simple things such as putting a green dot outside packaging to remind people the material can be recycled and put on the streets in recycle bins, which we can’t often see in United States (Brian Bradshaw, 2017).

Moreover, Neil Seldman Ph.D. and director of the Recycling and Economic Growth Initiative, co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and also a member of the ILSR’s Board of directors talk about how there’s also the doubting side of recycling in the United States case, where China was accepting recyclable materials of any quality yet due to its high levels of pollution the country released a policy against any incoming recyclables. In addition to this issue, recycling is an alternative to landfills and incineration, yet United States’ methane emissions are mostly caused by landfills. Our country also counts with a low rate of barely 35% of materials recycled (Skarimi, 2019). This is strongly affected by companies mainly incinerating and landfilling their waste, this is one of the main reasons people are so discouraged to recycle since the industries, with much more power than them to make a change, don’t really do anything for the world. Most of these companies make much more money from incinerating and landfilling, thus because of the economic problem they choose to claim that recycling doesn’t really help, their irrefutable power among our economic balance and the people not accustomed to recycling makes an endless loop of issues (Neil Seldman, 2018)

Going deeper into China’s new policy is important to know that thanks to this dependency with the other country we had good global trade in materials this change caused mainly also because of that dependency has caused the loss of money for companies such as Don Slager, chief executive of Republic Services who states he will lose around 150 million dollars due to China’s new policy. Before the ban, Japan was a big exporter to China yet as of today, the situation is completely different as Eric Kawabata, general manager for Asia-Pacific with TerraCycle states “Now all this trash is building up in Japan and there’s nothing to do with it; the incinerators are working at full capacity.” This is a perfect explanation for all the landfilling going on in the US since now whatever waste cannot be traded to China has no place to be put, actually, in 2018 the country exported Varley less than 30 percent of plastic. Due to these challenges, Asian countries that are also suffering from the new policies and higher amounts of waste end up in actions such as illegal recycling companies. Community in Thailand around New Year usually see trucks full of electronic waste and He Jia Enterprise began to burn plastic e-waste for the copper they could extract from it, this not only heavily endangers the planet but also the people in Thailand, where some villagers say to feel faint from the fumes. Ellen MacArthur, who launched the environmental group the Ellen MacArthur Foundation says, “We have not been successful at recycling. After 40 years of trying, we have not been able to make it work.”(Leslie Hook and John Reed, 2018).

As for my personal opinion, I came with a biased mind, since I have always been raised with the thought that recycling it’s the best and easiest way to take care of our planet, however, I had never made any research about the true background of what this initiative supposes. I didn’t know how much money costed recycling since I had the ignorant assumption that recycling was what made the money for the country, not what took from it. I read this data with open eyes, and I see that the world could change and the climate could be appeased if only both the people and big corporations weren’t so ignorant and biased towards their own purposes. I believe recycling can stop climate change, but for that, the whole world needs to act and stop depending on other countries or expecting other people within the community to act instead of them. Such as Sweden, Gambia, and Germany, I believe we could change our ways of doing things.

Works Cited

1. EPA. “Reduction and Recycling: A role in Preventing Global Climate Change”, https://archive.epa.gov/region4/rcra/mgtoolkit/web/html/climate_change.html
2. Max Riche. “Isatou Ceesay, Queen of Plastic Recycling in The Gambia”, https://climateheroes.org/heroes/isatou-ceesay-queen-plastic-recycling-gambia/
3. Mike Webster, 2014. “How a small African recycling project tackles a mountainous rubbish problem.” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/01/small-african-recycling-project-tackling-mountainous-rubbish-problem
4. BBC CAPITAL,” Protecting the environment: waste-to-wealth schemes” http://www.bbc.com/storyworks/capital/moving-africa/environment
5. Skarimi, 2019. “Does Recycling Help the Climate?” https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/does-recycling-help-climate-crisis
6. Neil Seldman, 2018. “Single Stream Recycling: Explaining the Waste Knot” https://ilsr.org/explaining-the-waste-knot/
7. Leslie Hook and John Reed, 2018. “Why the world’s recycling system stopped working” https://www.ft.com/content/360e2524-d71a-11e8-a854-33d6f82e62f8
8. Dominic Hinde, 2019. “The Swedish recycling revolution” https://sweden.se/nature/the-swedish-recycling-revolution/
9. Sweden.se, “Sweden tackles climate change”, 2018. https://sweden.se/nature/sweden-tackles-climate-change/
10. Edem E. Selormey and Carolyn Logan, “African nations are among those most vulnerable to climate change. A new survey suggests they are also the least prepared.” 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/09/23/african-nations-are-among-those-most-vulnerable-climate-change-new-survey-suggests-they-are-also-least-prepared/
11. Brian Brassaw, “Germany: A Recycling Program That Actually Works” 2017. https://earth911.com/business-policy/recycling-in-germany/

Going green is the trend of the century, but other than it been using a keep cup or recycling your plastic, it takes innovative thinking. Our growing urgency of a fight against climate change, not to mention awareness of environmental issues such as water scarcity and deforestation, means the solution is definitely a collective one. In the past couple of years, both sustainability and social media have become a dominant part of the food industry, having improved customer interaction in 2017, Watch My Waste RMIT’s report highlighted at least 40% of food purchased by the Adelaide hospitality industry ends up in the bin.

Consumer demand for larger portions encourages wasteful practices in the food industry with businesses serving large meals to entice customers.

Take Sam Prince’s Australian burrito concept, Zambrero’s which serves food typically classified as sustainable and healthy stand by choosing local and supporting ethical farming processes. And Tappy’s Café, a food precinct and café in Adelaide coastal area quietly churns out fertilizer made from food and preparation waste, ground coffee, expired food products, and plate scraps that the operators and customers create during the trade.

Whilst businesses like these don’t constantly shout their sustainability standards out to the crowds but they do let customers gently know through integrating it into marketing and social media and they make information available on their websites or in-store for those who want to read more about it. It is these types of practices that are becoming the norm in the food and hospitality industry and even more, businesses will jump on board as it becomes a key priority for their customers. Research revealed the difference between restaurants that use biodegradable materials and those that don’t. Zambrero Rundle St is a restaurant located in the Adelaide CBD that donates a meal with every burrito or bowl purchased through organizations such as Foodbank SA. They have an organic garden with a water filtration system which also filters the oils used for cooking, Being a Zambrero worker myself, I observed over the time period of 3 weeks just how much food was being wasted. At the end of the day, the waste weighed over 5kg which is a lot considering how big the company is. Managers in the shop weigh their waste, this helps the restaurant to quantify the financial and environmental impact of food waste as well as further identify reduction opportunities. The data can be used to reinforce their customer incentives with real numbers. Within the industry, waste minimization, recycling initiatives, and water efficiency are critical objectives Zambrero uses to improve food production methods.

I am speaking to you today about the causes and consequences of the environmental changes at the Great Barrier Reef and how these changes are being managed. I believe we are not utilizing enough resources to protect our iconic Great Barrier Reef for our future generations. I urge you to please do something about this

As you know, The Great Barrier Reef is a complex of coral reefs, shoals, and islets. It’s the longest and largest reef complex in the world. The reef is home to over 1,500 species of fish, lots of marine life, and over 200 types of birds. It would be such a shame for our grandchildren’s grandchildren to not experience this.

The coral reef defends shorelines against waves, storms, and floods, helping to prevent loss of life and property damage. We are so lucky to have this reef so we should be taking good care of it. There are so many things that threaten the existence of the reef, some of them are Climate Change, ocean acidification, poor water quality, and coral bleaching. These threats are barely being managed and we should be doing something about them. We are doing nothing to minimize these threats, we are all still littering, putting pollution into the atmosphere and not recycling, A few small changes can make a huge difference.

I would like to bring your attention to Glacier Bay national park. located in Southeast Alaska. A globally remarkable marine and terrestrial wilderness sanctuary. Glacier Bay has some of our world’s most amazing scenery and wildness, much like our Great Barrier Reef. This park was very much under threat due to global warming causing the glaciers to melt and impacting many areas including marine life and rising sea levels.

Glacier Bay is a marine park, where you can boat into inlets and through caves as well as a land park filled with Amazing Glaciers, popular for cruise ships to see the snowy mountains but most importantly a wide and divine ecosystem and beautiful landscapes. Like our Great Barrier Reef, there are many threats to Glacier Bay that are challenging its existence. They are the warming effects of climate change as well as the many effects of tourism. Thankfully National Park Services and community lobbies have taken many actions to implement changes that are making an impact on the sustainability of the park to protect it. They have achieved one of the best recycling rates. In addition to this, to minimize tourism disturbing the environment, they limit the number of cruises to only 2 cruises per day that go through Glacier Bay.

I’d like to propose that replicate what Glacier Bay is doing. They know climate change is really hurting their park so they are recycling, incorporating cleaner and renewable energy, and transitioning to electric vehicles rather than petrol-powered vehicles to get around the park.

One of the major threats putting the Great Barrier Reef in grave danger is global warming. Global warming is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. Global warming has multiple effects on the Great Barrier reef, one of the threats is rising sea temperatures and it’s causing a greater risk of mass coral bleaching and heat stress. Coral Bleaching leaves coral susceptible to disease, stunts their growth, and can impact marine life and other species that depend on the coral communities. Severe bleaching kills the coral completely. The Great Barrier Reef has experienced two major bleaching events Recently, 42% and 54% of reefs were affected by coral bleaching. Another major threat caused by global warming is ocean acidification. Since the 1800s, the oceans have absorbed 30% of the carbon dioxide that our actions have put into the atmosphere. This Carbon Dioxide has changed the chemistry of the ocean through a process called ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is a decrease in the pH of the ocean. This causes the capacity of corals to build skeletons, decreasing their capacity to create a habitat for the Reef’s marine life. A third Threat is an Increased frequency of severe weather events. Global warming will increase the frequency of Cyclones and extreme rainfall. More extreme rainfall events would send more freshwater and sediment further out from the coast and onto the Reef, Decreasing the Ph level of the water. Also, The added level of sediment would kill the coral thus decreasing the size of the reef. Making us lose our precious reef

This could all be avoided or minimized if we just look after our environment. There are various measures we could do to eliminate as much pollution as possible. Such as recycling more. Putting our cans into blue bins for them to be recycled is a step that some people have taken and I personally do this myself. More people should be doing this and more recyclable items should be included like milk cartons and cardboard. Cars release a lot of fumes into the atmosphere so we should minimize this. We should make electricity cheaper and easier to get because electric cars release a whole lot fewer fumes than cars that run on petrol. One other way to stop the amount of pollution being released into the air is by incorporating cleaner and renewable energy. Instead of using a battery and then chucking it out when it’s empty, buy rechargeable batteries and charge them again and again. They may cost a little more but they are definitely worth it for the environment the government could subsidize rechargeable batteries to encourage this.

Let me take your attention back to Glacier Bay, some of the changes have been increased tourism impacting on the environment. The number of private tour boats in the bay has been increasing. In addition to these entries, commercial fishing boats have entered the bay in numbers that are completely unregulated and this is all happening during whale season. Researchers have discovered whales avoid these fishermen and are leaving the bay. A second change is that the Glaciers are melting. Glacier Bay is covered with glacial ice. Of the 100,000 glaciers in Alaska, about 95 percent of them are getting smaller. When this ice begins to melt, the sea level rises. A rise in sea level can lead to loss of wildlife habitat through the increased chances of flood. Along with that, the acidity in the water is also increasing at an unhealthy rate because of the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Another change is pollution. There are giant cruise ships and other small boats in the bay all the time and they all leave behind pollution and fuel which gets pumped into the water, increasing the temperature of the water and decreasing the water’s ph level making the water more acidic. This makes it hard for fish to live in and the increase in temperature could kill some species of fish or cause them to migrate away from Glacier Bay

Glacier bay could be a perfect place if we all just do some of these simple things. Glacier Bay National Park has taken various measures to eliminate as much pollution in the park as possible. Some of these solutions are recycling, transitioning to electric vehicles rather than petrol-powered vehicles, and incorporating cleaner and renewable energy. As for the commercial fishing boats, I believe that there should be no fishing allowed in the waters of glacier bay national park as they are scaring off whales and fish. People come to Glacier Bay to see the water and it would be a shame if they couldn’t do that. The boats that emit mass amounts of pollution into the water should be minimized, them 2 cruises that go by a day should be shortened down to one or just make the cruise ships emit less pollution into the water.

In conclusion, If we don’t act now the Great Barrier Reef, as we know it will be gone. The reef protects us, gives people jobs, and Stimulates our critical tourism industry. The reef gives people purpose and if we don’t act now that we all be lost. It’s still crazy to me that so many people won’t acknowledge that climate change is a real and serious issue. After listening to this speech and I hope you realize how amazing The Great Barrier Reef is, I truly hope humanity can find a way to reduce the emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere so we can preserve beautiful places like this and enjoy them for years to come. Hopefully, the strategies that I have come up such as recycling, switching to electric cars, and using cleaner and renewable energy will help combat the environmental issue, and more places will adopt these ideas.

Every industry across the globe utilizes plastic in one form or another. It is used in manufacturing through packaging, shipping, and transportation. It is also used in everyday life through cups, straws, bags, electronics, and more. Its versatility, long life, and benefit-cost ratio make it a major component in everyday use. However, plastics’ unique properties make them so indestructible and the simple fact that it’s regularly used for only short periods of time before being tossed into the bin has created an abundance of waste with nowhere to put it. Since landfills are reaching their max capacity as plastic cannot degrade fast enough to allow more fill, illegal dumping and municipal littering have become more common. This causes the plastic to end up in sewage and waterways that ultimately drain into the earth’s oceans. After plastic finds its way into the earth’s oceans, wildlife can mistake it for food, the ultraviolet rays from the sun can release toxic chemicals from the plastic, and major trash islands form in the middle of the ocean. All these scenarios are ultimately hurting the environment and imposing potential threats to human health through food safety. An effective way to address the problem of contaminating the earth’s oceans with plastic is to regulate the amount of plastic that can be allowed in various businesses and their processes, create accessible forms of municipal recycling, and introduce environmentally healthy alternatives to everyday plastic consumers.

First, limiting the amount of plastic that can be allowed in businesses is one of the solutions that help to control the use of plastics. Plastic regulations and entire plastic bans are major components in resolving the plastic oceanic crisis. As mentioned above, plastic is widely used in how companies create, package, and ship various products. In most of these cases, plastic is only used once, for a short period of time. Companies will typically take the cheapest route in all aspects of their many processes. Because plastics are cheap cost, this means using them wherever possible. Currently, packaging materials make up 40 percent of all of the plastic that is being produced (Howard, 2019). If regulations could be put in place by local governments that limit the allowed amount of plastic used in packaging or even replaced it with a paper alternative, which then can be recycled easier or biodegrade faster as it is an organic material, a strong portion of plastic pollution could be resolved. Luckily, this tactic has already been put in place and tested in various parts of the world. In 2015, California became the first state to pass statewide legislation banning all single-use plastic bags at large retail stores, unless available for purchase at 10 cents per reusable bag (Shultz & Tyrrell, 2019). In addition to the ban, California also pushed retail stores to adopt an at-store recycling program for bags and restricted manufacturers from labeling products as compostable or biodegradable unless very specific requirements are met (Shultz & Tyrrell, 2019).

Since this legislation has been put in place, bag usage has been tracked in various California counties. Alameda County’s chain stores were analyzed, and it was discovered that combined, were using over 37 million plastic bags each year before the ban, and decreased to only 2 million after the ban. Also, Los Angeles County discovered its big box stores handed out 2 million plastic bags and 196,000 paper bags annually before the ban, and only 125,000 paper bags a year later. San Jose’s waste disposal service reported that a 35-50 percent reduction in downtime was due to fewer plastic bags getting caught in recycling machines (O’Mara, 2018). Typically, customers go for the free option of new plastic bags with every trip to the store. What local governments in California are discovering is that imposing a price on plastic bags in large retail stores will raise an incentive for the customer to either bring their own bags or purchase reusable bags (O’Mara, 2018). If other governments could follow in California’s footsteps, the number of plastic bags that end up displaced in the Earth’s oceans could dramatically be decreased.

Next, creating accessible forms of municipal recycling is another great step towards cleaning up the earth’s oceans. However, municipal recycling is not required in an overwhelming majority of cities across the United States. Simply, this is due to the fact that it is much cheaper to send all waste to a landfill. However, cities could create more economical ways of integrating a recycling plan into their waste management services. Providing city residents with a free and larger bin, like a garbage dumpster, and collecting at intervals that economically make sense for each city. Whether that be trash is collected once a week, and recyclables are collected once every two weeks or once a month. This way, money can be saved by recycling collection routes being carried out in half or less the normal intervals. In 2002, New York City saw that they were spending twice as much on glass and plastic recycling than landfill costs (Talk, 2018). Thus, New York City decided to drawback its recycling program to paper only. It wasn’t long until landfills raised prices due to the workload of hauling the new amount of trash. Eventually, the city reopened the recycling program again, with a new economic system (Talk, 2018).

Lastly, introducing environmentally healthy alternatives to everyday plastic consumers will ultimately be a benefit to the oceanic plastic crisis. As mentioned above, in the scenario of shopping, consumers and shoppers will typically gravitate to the free option of new plastic bags. If organizations took the initiative to promote a more environmentally healthy alternative to plastic bags, more consumers would follow suit. In manufacturing, using paper is a great alternative to plastic packaging. There are even marketing opportunities for products that are plastic alternatives as many consumers who are more environmentally conscious are looking for these products. Local governments could create volunteer-based committees dedicated to eliminating plastic pollution in the area. Even though recycling has major advantages in the fight against oceanic pollution, it still takes a small toll on the environment. Individuals should know that reusing and repurposing better serve the environment before recycling (Talk, 2019).

An effective way to address the problem of contaminating the earth’s oceans with plastic is to regulate the amount of plastic that can be allowed in various businesses and their processes, create accessible forms of municipal recycling, and introduce environmentally healthy alternatives to everyday plastic consumers. The case studies performed in California following its plastic ban have shown that plastic single-use can be reduced by millions. Municipal recycling plans are indeed an economical option for cities when performed accordingly. Alternative plastic products and solutions can be the initiative for consumers to realize that a life without plastic is viable. Regulating plastic may not always make sense from a fiscal perspective but investing in the environment will keep the earth spinning.

References

1. Howard, B. C. (2019, January 11). A running list of actions on plastic pollution. Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/ocean-plastic-pollution-solutions/
2. O’Mara, K. (2018, January 11). Are Plastic Bag Bans Actually Helping the Environment? Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://www.kqed.org/news/11461251/are-plastic-bag-bans-good-for-the-environment
3. Shultz, J., & Tyrrell, K. (2019, January 1). STATE PLASTIC AND PAPER BAG LEGISLATION. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from http://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/plastic-bag-legislation.aspx
4. Talk, E. (2018, July 17). Why Is Recycling Not Mandatory in All U.S. Cities? Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.thoughtco.com/why-recycling-not-mandatory-all-cities-1204150
5. Talk, E. (2019, January 07). Do the Benefits of Recycling Outweigh the Costs? Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.thoughtco.com/benefits-of-recycling-outweigh-the-costs-1204141