Does Recycling Really Make a Difference

Wherever you live, in one way or another you probably recycle the products that you use. Whether it is a plastic shopping bag, using an empty food can for storing other things or categorize your waste during disposal as recyclable, organic or garbage wastes. Waste recycling has raised controversial issues on whether or not it contributes to the maintenance of the environment. Recycling makes a difference in the country by promoting environmental conservation and improving the economy of the country through savings obtained after recycling. This essay analyzes the importance of recycling and provides insight into whether or not recycling makes a difference.
Some of the commonly recycled products include paper products, which can be recycled five times before its fibers become too weak. About 44 million newspapers are thrown out on a daily basis in the United States which can be compared to the destruction of 70,000 trees daily while a ton of recycled paper can save between 10-15 trees (Recycling Facts n.p). Aluminum, glass, and plastic products can also be recycled. The number of times glass can be recycled countless which makes it one of the most recyclable product.
Recycling products provide environmental and economy benefits. Unlike the case whereby one would be required to create an aluminum product from raw materials, the use of recycled aluminum saves energy, the production cost and prevents accumulation of aluminum waste in landfills. Recycling polythene plastic bags saves about 60% of the energy required in producing new polythene bags.

Garbage cans, traffic cones, and some plastic tables and chairs are made from recycled plastics which saves the extra raw material that would have been used to produce them. According to the Glass Packaging Institute, glass can be recycled over and over with no loss in its quality hence minimum pollution of the environment. Limestone, soda ash, and sand are the raw materials used in the production of glass. Aside from minimizing the use of these raw materials, recycling reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the air. A ton of carbon dioxide emitted in the air is reduced for every six tons of recycled glass used which in turn helps in addressing concerns of climate change (Glass Packaging Institute 05).
Recycling provides both immediate and long-term benefits to the consumers and the environment. The reduction in the size of landfills and reduced use of raw materials such as trees for the production of paper and other products rationalizes the importance of recycling. Recycling also promotes the environment since goods made from recycled material require less energy and raw material during production.
In 2014, in the United States, more than 89 million tons of municipal solid waste were recycled and composted. About 89.5% of used boxes and 13% of plastic from the municipal waste were also recycled in the same year. The recycling of this products resulted in the reduction of greenhouse gas emission and an annual reduction of more than 181 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2014 showing the impact of recycling on the environment (Materials and Waste Management in the United States Key Facts and Figures n.p).
John Tierney in his article, The Reign of Recycling argues that it is more expensive for municipalities to recycle waste from a household than it is sending it to the landfills. He mentioned the possibility of a downfall in recycling and recycling industries in future since the conversion of household trash to “gold” seems more expensive than perceived by most people (Tierney SR1). The fact remains that, even though, it is currently cheaper to dispose of garbage in landfills, that garbage still poses an environmental risk to the people living in the regions due to the emission of gasses, and the risk of respiratory and other diseases. Recycling ensures that future generations will not be affected or develop strange mutations due to gasses emitted by wastes and environmental pollutants.
Another article on the value of recycling in the CBS news showcased how people dismissed recycling as a matter of convenience and claimed that the positive effects of recycling had been exaggerated. Samantha MacBribe, an assistant professor in New York while being interviewed said that recycling did not mean saving the planet. According to Ron Gonen, recycling is making a comeback as more people embrace it. The article views on recycling entail not only environmental benefits but also the economic benefits that recycling companies especially paper recycling companies are making. (Dover n.p). By categorizing wastes into recyclables and biodegradables, the biodegradable wastes in landfills will be able to decompose faster since the piles of plastic containers in such sites slow down the decomposition of waste.
Based on these findings recycling helps in the maintaining and conservation of the environment, and its resources. Although it may seem like we play a small role in the production of waste as compared to industries, our efforts to conserve the environment through recycling makes a difference on the planet. This essay has analyzed the importance of waste recycling and how it benefits us and our environment.
Works Cited
Dover, Sara. “Is Recycling Worth It?” CBS News, 26 April 2013 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-recycling-worth-it/ Accessed 20 December 2016
Glass Packaging Institute. “Efforts, Challenges, and Opportunities Ahead for the North American Glass Container Industry: Achieving 50% Recycled Content for Glass Containers.” September 2014. http://gpi.org/sites/default/files/GPI%20Recycled%20Content%20Report%2C%20September%202014.pdf Accessed 20 December 2016
“Materials and Waste Management in the United States Key Facts and Figures.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures Accessed 20 December 2016.
“Recycling Facts.” The University of Colorado at boulder. 2005. http://recycling.colorado.edu/recycling_facts/ Accessed 20 December 2016.
Tierney, John. “The Reign of Recycling.” The New York Times 3 October 2015. pp. SR1.