In the year 1960, recycling and composing were not common habits amongst most Americans. Thankfully, since 1960 recycling rates in the United States have increased by approximately 27.9% (figure 1). While the increase in recycling is outstanding, the transformation into a recycling, environmentally friendly country is not completed quite yet. Americans are collectively producing a greater amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) and are not properly disposing of said waste; for example: one will waste an aluminum can rather than recycling the can, or one will throw away leftover pizza rather than composting the pizza. As the amount of MSW increases, the amount of waste than can be recycled also increases; however, only 34.3% of waste is recycled
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John Tierney, a New York Times writer is not in favor of recycling, “It’s typically more expensive for municipalities to recycle household waste than to send it to a landfill,” (Tierney, 2015). Raw materials are cheap to purchase and because of this products will be cheaper. If products end up being recycled and fewer raw materials are being purchased by producers, the price of products will increase because of a lower demand for the use of these materials. It is cheaper to dump waste into a landfill rather than go through the recycling process; landfills produce methane (a common greenhouse gas) that will be emitted into the atmosphere. Recycling is costly and in some areas inconvenient, but the benefits it has for the environment outweighs the cost of recycling. The cost is not as much of a problem yet since less than half of what can be recycled is actually being …show more content…
Most companies are creating products with a cradle-to-cradle mentality. By creating a product designed to one day become waste is not sustainable or realistic for the environment. Environmental cycles exist as closed loop cycles, such as the carbon or nitrogen cycles. A sustainable solution in combating the increased production of MSW is for the industries to create products with the idea that it will be reused. The product would act as if it were just a small part in a big, closed loop cycle. By doing this might require “a complete rethinking of industrial processes,” according to architect William McDonough (The Economist, 2007). This idea can become successful by starting with bigger companies, and allowing them to lead by example. Another way companies can help increase recycling rates in America is to change the way company’s package products. Companies need to stop using heavy plastics as packaging, and replace the packaging with lighter and sustainable options. Options such as thinner plastics or utilizing bulk options. This would also cut costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, (The Economist, 2007). People are sensitive to social pressure, and will likely follow in the footsteps of people with great
John Tierney, a New York Times writer is not in favor of recycling, “It’s typically more expensive for municipalities to recycle household waste than to send it to a landfill,” (Tierney, 2015). Raw materials are cheap to purchase and because of this products will be cheaper. If products end up being recycled and fewer raw materials are being purchased by producers, the price of products will increase because of a lower demand for the use of these materials. It is cheaper to dump waste into a landfill rather than go through the recycling process; landfills produce methane (a common greenhouse gas) that will be emitted into the atmosphere. Recycling is costly and in some areas inconvenient, but the benefits it has for the environment outweighs the cost of recycling. The cost is not as much of a problem yet since less than half of what can be recycled is actually being …show more content…
Most companies are creating products with a cradle-to-cradle mentality. By creating a product designed to one day become waste is not sustainable or realistic for the environment. Environmental cycles exist as closed loop cycles, such as the carbon or nitrogen cycles. A sustainable solution in combating the increased production of MSW is for the industries to create products with the idea that it will be reused. The product would act as if it were just a small part in a big, closed loop cycle. By doing this might require “a complete rethinking of industrial processes,” according to architect William McDonough (The Economist, 2007). This idea can become successful by starting with bigger companies, and allowing them to lead by example. Another way companies can help increase recycling rates in America is to change the way company’s package products. Companies need to stop using heavy plastics as packaging, and replace the packaging with lighter and sustainable options. Options such as thinner plastics or utilizing bulk options. This would also cut costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, (The Economist, 2007). People are sensitive to social pressure, and will likely follow in the footsteps of people with great