Household Recycling: Easier Than You Think Essay, Research Paper

HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING:

EASIER THAN YOU THINK!

by

Amy Newman

Thesis: After reading this essay, I will fully understand the issue of recycling and the three solutions I have found.

Primary Audience: Myself

Purpose: To provide myself with the information necessary to choose the proper recycling program I feel is the most efficient and effective.

English 1302, 7010

Professor Ice

September 22, 2000

Annotated Bibliography

Carless, Jennifer. Taking Out The Trash: A No-Nonsense Guide to Recycling.

Washington D.C.: Island Press, 1992.

This book discusses the fundamentals of recycling, for individuals, businesses and communities. It also describes the history of waste disposal, and an overview of recyclable materials, both common (paper, glass, plastic) and uncommon (tires, asphalt car bumpers).

I will use some direct quotes from Carless herself and also use some statistical data she presented.

Stein, Kathy. Beyond Recycling: A Re-User?s Guide. New Mexico: Clear Light

Publishers, 1997.

This book goes into detail on 336 ways to re-use 70 types of common products, most of which are not currently accepted for recycling. It also includes an index of organizations that support recycling and reusing programs.

I intend to mention a few of the ideas for reusing products. I will also use some environmental aspects that this book points out.

?Resource Conservation and Solid Waste?. DFWinfo.com . Home page. NCTCOG. 19

Sep. 2000 *http://www.dfwinfo.com/envir/sw*.

This one paragraph article explains that the North Central Texas Council of Governments plans for regional strategies for waste minimization.

I will use the first sentence, which includes an interesting statistic.

?Minimizing Household Trash?. DFWinfo.com . Home page. NCTCOG. 19 Sep. 2000

*http://www.dfwinfo.com/envir/sw/strategy/mht/mht.html*.

This short article provides tips for minimizing household trash and also provides some statistical data. It also describes public awareness of household waste.

Most of the information in this article was common sense except for the percentage data, which I will use.

?What is State Authorization?? EPA Office of Solid Waste. Home page. EPA. 19 Sep.

2000 *http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/sate/index.htm*.

This paragraph I found provides information about the EPA granting authorization to states for implementing a recycling program.

I will use the statistical data regarding the states that have implemented recycling programs.

Annotated Bibliography

?Municipal Recycling Programs in North Central Texas?. DFWinfo.com . Home page.

NCTCOG. 19 Sep. 2000 *http://www.nctcog.dst.tx.us:80/envir/sw/strategy/mht/cityrecycling.html*.

This chart provides a list of most cities in the North Central Texas region, and provides information for each city, including contacts, population, if and when they have a recycling program and what each program accepts and does not accept.

I added the number of cities, along with the number that currently participate in a curbside recycling program and came up with statistical data.

HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING: EASIER THAN YOU THINK!

Amy Newman

?The North Central Texas region generates more than 6 million tons of solid waste each year?? (Resource Conservation). The United States generates approximately 220 million tons a year. Even though household waste ?accounts only for 1% of all solid waste ending up in landfills?it is a serious concern to local communities?? (Minimizing Household Trash). Jennifer Carless defines Recycling as ?returning materials to their raw material components and then using these again to supplement or replace new materials in the manufacture of a new product ? (1992, p.3). The process of recycling has occurred in natural for billions of years; it is not a new idea. Humans only latched onto this idea with the planet?s increasing population and space constraints. There are numerous advantages to recycling. It allows us to conserve our natural resources and energy, reduces pollution, and can eliminate or reduce the need for landfills and incineration (the burning of wastes). Recycling ?helps to preserve reassured wildlife habitats and vital ecosystems (Carless, p.5). I have thoroughly researched this topic and have come up with three solutions to recycling. The first is strictly voluntary, with people going to private recyclers themselves. The second is a city or county wide curbside recycling program. The third is proposed for people who feel that there is no real need for recycling and includes basic everyday suggestions that require little thought for conserving resources.

Most large cities or counties have private recyclers that buy back recyclables. People who want to recycle have to be motivated enough to separate their recyclables and haul them to a private recycling business. An advantage to this is that most private recyclers take uncommon recyclable products such as used oil, tires and brush as well as household recyclables.

Some believe that in order to control our increasing waste disposal problem, a waste management system should be adopted. More than 100 individual laws on recycling were passed nationwide in 1989 alone (Carless, p.157). The Environmental Protection Agency has granted authority to 49 states and territories to implement or initiate waste programs (State Authorization). Even though each state has designed their own programs, there are common themes to all legislation that has been passed recently across the country. With the 50+ cities in the North Central Texas region, 90% of the cities have adopted a curbside recycling program, in which the city provides a bin/s to each house and picks up recyclable materials weekly. Usually the fee for this service is only a couple of dollars added to their current waste/water bill. This program is mandated by the city but voluntary for residents. Even though there is no added incentive for curbside recycling like getting paid for your materials, it is more convenient and less time consuming.

As for those out there who feel there is no need for recycling, just doing a few of these simple tasks can help save resources. Some examples are buying in bulk, avoiding disposable products, buying durable, repairable goods, taking your own shopping bags to the store, using both side of paper for writing and photocopying, saving wrapping paper, reupholstering old furniture instead of throwing it out and buying new furniture, using rechargeable batteries and even donating clothing and useful household items to charitable groups are great ways to re-use items.

Recyclable materials are not trash; they are resources. If everyone participated and recycled one to two items daily, our natural resources will last longer than estimated. I am a true believer of recycling and support any type of recycling program as long as it is beneficial. All of the methods mentioned above help the Earth in many ways but I feel the curbside recycling program is the most effective way of recycling right now. It is convenient, inexpensive and easy. By recycling, whether it is once a month or every day, whether it is mandated or voluntary, we can help the environment by conserving landfill space, reducing air and water pollution, slow global warming, and minimizing the need for loggers.

Carless, Jennifer. Taking Out The Trash: A No-Nonsense Guide to Recycling.

Washington D.C.: Island Press, 1992.

Stein, Kathy. Beyond Recycling: A Re-User?s Guide. New Mexico: Clear Light

Publishers, 1997.

?Resource Conservation and Solid Waste?. DFWinfo.com . Home page. NCTCOG. 19

Sep. 2000 *http://www.dfwinfo.com/envir/sw*.

?Minimizing Household Trash?. DFWinfo.com . Home page. NCTCOG. 19 Sep. 2000

*http://www.dfwinfo.com/envir/sw/strategy/mht/mht.html*.

?What is State Authorization?? EPA Office of Solid Waste. Home page. EPA. 19 Sep.

2000 *http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/sate/index.htm*.

?Municipal Recycling Programs in North Central Texas?. DFWinfo.com . Home page.

NCTCOG. 19 Sep. 2000 *http://www.nctcog.dst.tx.us:80/envir/sw/strategy/mht/cityrecycling.html*.