Arguments Essay on Recycling in USA (Essay Sample)

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Arguments in Support of Recycling During the last decade, approximately 100% increase in overall U.S. recycling has been observed. Recycling is the process of separation, collection, secondary production or conversion of waste and used products into new things (Recycling Basics). People create waste as all living organisms do. The point is to find how to link all the processes of humanity in order to convert any product into a raw material at the next stage of the life cycle. At this time, recycling becomes a significant part of the necessary changes for minimizing the negative future impact on the surroundings. It is the recovery of valuable raw materials like metals, plastic, glass, and paper from the garbage, thus reducing the number of necessary new ones. Recycling has many advantages that are important to people and the whole planet as well. First of all, recycling limits pollution. The state of today’s environment needs all the assistance that can be given. Recycling may help the environment. The disposal of car and household batteries prevents cadmium, lithium, mercury, and other heavy metals from being dumped into water and air. If animals and humans consume heavy metals, they bring about various health problems. As a consequence, many marine animals die, and oceans become the dead zone. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concludes that about 200 million waste motor oil gallons are wrongly disposed of annually. Its recycling will keep fresh water and land from pollution. Americans also create 270 million used tires yearly (Brennan). Stockpiled and illegally dumped junks are the favorable ground for mosquitoes and rodents. If such tires are burned, they release harmful substances such as soot and oil into the groundwater and air. Recycling reduces the pollution level from manufacturing and the need for industrialists to use toxic chemicals that are needed in the use of primary materials. Secondly, recycling conserves natural resources. All artificial products require raw materials for the finished product. This means the collection of natural resources like metal or wood with the purpose to get raw stuff. Deforestation can be an illustration in what way the gathering of natural resources harms the environs. Half of the Earth's forestry disappeared, and about 90 percent of the U.S. original wooded area was chopped down. If more old wood products and paper are recycled, it will reduce the amount of deforestation, as many trees are killed off only for the paper production. Recycling only one ton of paper saves 7,000 water gallons (Benefits of Paper Recycling). If paper is not recycled, many new trees will be cut down, conveyed, and factory-made. In general, the use of recycled materials decreases the need for extraction of natural resources: mineral ores, crude petroleum, and timber. Thirdly, recycling saves energy. Confidently, less energy is needed to process recycled materials than create new ones from plants because a manufacturer must not produce something new from raw stuff. Recycling one ton of paper saves the amount of energy similar to 185 gallons of petrol (Benefits of Paper Recycling). In other words, it keeps sufficient energy for powering the standard American house during six months. It was found by the Center for Ecological Technology that 50% less energy was used to make glass from recycled material (Brennan). In such a way, people also save energy for transportation of raw materials from natural sources. This results in other benefits such as the reduction of environmental pollution that makes less pressure on the budget and people’s health. A computer can work for 30 minutes by the energy of recycling single glass bottle (Recycling Facts & Statistics Infographic). This argument for recycling is an extremely important as energy conservation is one of the main regulators to combat climate change. Next, recycling curbs such climate problem as global warming. Many scholars argue that man-released CO2 is a primary reason for global warming. Increasing global warming harms polar ice, which is among the key climate regulatory factors. In addition, a large number of animal species (for example, Antarctic penguins and polar bears) will be lost without ice caps. There is one more effect of energy saving in manufacture by recycling. The emissions of greenhouse gases from industrial plants and factories are decreased, and fuel consumption (diesel, coal, and gasoline), which also emits harmful gases in the production process, is lessened. Recycling only half of yearly biodegradable domestic waste can save about 2500 pounds of CO2 from releasing into the air. Disposal of non-biodegradable waste (recycling instead of burning) will make a great contribution to the reduction of air pollution and greenhouse gases as a result. In particular, recycling one glass ton lets down the emissions of carbon dioxide by three tons and leads to more than 300% of energy savings at the same time. It lowers the emissions of greenhouse gases by one carbon equivalent metric ton. In turn, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions will promote a stable climate by evading methane releases and saving energy. Also, recycling reduces landfills and increases space. According to the statistics, the most trash for each individual per day is in the United States. Americans create 300,000 landfill waste tons every year only by using 1 billion shopping bags. The nation generated over 250 million tons of garbage, 85 million of which were recycled, putting the recycling rate at 34 percent in 2010 (Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5306P). Non-biodegradable garbage makes the main part of landfills, and it decomposes for an extended period of time. For instance, 2,500,000 plastic bottles are used by Americans annually, and most bottles thrown away. They will not decay for thousands of years in landfills, being protected from sunlight (Recycling Facts & Statistics Infographic). Furthermore, corrosive and toxic chemicals of hazardous waste leak into the environment. Containing lead, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, methane, mercury, dioxins, and cyanide, landfill pollutants outflow in groundwater and escape into the atmosphere. Nevertheless, most of them can be reduced by recycling. Some opponents argue that the landfill is a cheaper short-term alternative than recycling. Though, the societal advantages of recycling can be pointed out to refute this argument. Waste disposal is considered to be an ineffective usage of resources, contributing to global warming through the waterway and groundwater pollution and methane release into the atmosphere. Besides, people should take into account the long-term expenses for the elimination of pollution effects generated by landfilling waste. Recycling one ton of paper saves about 3 cubic meters of landfill space. What is more, aluminum can be recycled completely without its quality loss. This is a very crucial matter, taking into consideration that 1/3 of all aluminum is in landfills (Recycling Facts & Statistics Infographic). More and more waste will fill landfills till the end if it is not recycled. Therefore, recycling reduces the burden on national as well as local landfills. As population increases, more and more landfills are needed, harming wildlife and the surroundings. R...