Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Term Paper

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Recycling, Reducing, Reusing

The items I identified as being recyclable during the week under consideration include: plastic bottles, steel cans, and paper cups. The total population of the community/subdivision currently stands at 2,000 people. This effectively means that if every member of the community in which I live recycles an exact amount of trash as I did for only 7 days, my area would be able to recycle 34,000 (17*2000) plastic bottles, 36,000 (18*2000) steel cans, and 28,000 (14*2000) paper cups. Assuming that each year has a total of 52 weeks, this means that the community would save 1,768,000 (34,000*52) plastic bottles, 1,872,000 (36,000*52) steel cans, and 1,456,000 (28,000*52) paper cups per annum.

In my opinion, my community does not recycle enough. This is particularly the case given that the recycling program in place is not as efficient as it ought to be. There are various ways through which the government could encourage recycling. One of these is supporting legislation aimed at discouraging land filling, while at the same time providing incentives for recycling. This could be done by supporting recycling bills that, for instance, propose landfill bans and increase disposal fees. North Carolina efficiently makes use of "landfill bans to stimulate the recycling sector" (State of West Virginia, 2013). In addition to banning the disposal of such wastes as plastic bottles, wood pallets, and aluminum cans, "many of the state's 100 counties have bans on certain recyclable materials such as newspaper, plastic, office paper, wood, steel, and glass" (State of West Virginia, 2013).

The government could also place more importance on recycling by enhancing public participation. This could be done by reinforcing communication and outreach. In so doing, the government should seek to reach out to two groups of people -- those who recycle and those who do not. While those who recycle should be encouraged to continue recycling by being offered guidance on what to recycle and when to recycle, those who do not recycle should be sensitized on what they (as well as the community) stand to gain from recycling.

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The relevance of supporting community recycling efforts cannot also be overstated. In addition to clearly communicating and labeling drop off points, efforts should be made to ensure that collection techniques are effective and well thought-out.

Part 3

The Recycling Process: Cans, Bottles, and Newspaper

The recycling process begins when members of the community place recyclable materials in a drop-off depot bin or curbside. The recyclables are then sent to a facility where recovery takes place, in preparation for processing.

Aluminum Cans

Most commercially available product cans are made of aluminum. These include soft drink and canned food cans. Essentially, aluminum, as McKinney and Schoch (2003) point out, can be recycled rather easily. Once they are received at a recycling plant, such cans are shredded and then melted. After the said melting, the resulting molten fluid is cooled and configured into what is referred to as an ingot, which is then flattened, with the resulting sheets being used as raw materials for the manufacture of new products. According to McKinney and Schoch (2003, p. 455) "about 55% of all aluminum cans in the United States are recycled."

Plastic Bottles

Traditionally, plastics, as McKinney and Schoch (2003, p. 458) note, "have been the bane of environmentalists." This, as the authors further point out, is because most plastics are not biodegradable -- meaning that in addition to clogging landfills, they could give off toxic substances when incinerated or burnt. It should be noted that unlike is the case with aluminum, plastics could prove rather difficult to recycle. This is particularly the case given that although they look similar, most plastics should be sorted….....

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