Review of Recycling

Jeremy Schill
3-30-11
“Review of Recycling”
Just recently the Wisconsin state government has started cutting budget money, and part of the cuts affected local municipalities and their ability to fund a recycling program. I am not going to try to take a side on this issue; I merely want to give a different perspective to recycling. Sure, it is better for the environment than land filling all of our waste, however in a time of recession where do we draw the line? The return economically for recycling just isn’t there. However, there are exceptions. The most noteworthy are metals, such as aluminum, they hold their value or integrity better than plastics. This makes metals more economical to recycle. There are some issues with this assumption as well, because in most instances mining the resource is actually cheaper than recycling it.
The most ideal situation would be to take a step back, realize how much waste is actually being generated. In my opinion assigning a value that an average household wastes, doesn’t cut it. The mindset for most people is as long as it’s in the bag on the curb it’s gone, “out of sight, out of mind.” The easiest remedy to the situation would be to reduce how much we waste, but taking a habit that has been engraved in the person’s mind for so long and changing it is very difficult. An even further step back would be to use the reusable glass bottles people used for so long.
Another issue to take a look at is the recycling of paper. Is it a good idea to recycle a renewable resource? The paper industry like so many other industries is hurting financially, and if we were given the opportunity to revive it, is a renewable resource a good one to exploit in an attempt to create jobs? Paper is the most biodegradable of the recycled resources, why not compost it or landfill it? I see no problem with land filling biodegradable resources. As long as they degrade rapidly, they take up no space, and if we land filled only biodegradable items, the way we manage landfills could change drastically allowing a company or individual to reopen and remove the degraded nutrients and apply them to the land. Composting would accomplish the same thing or even burning the paper to produce electricity and then land applying the ash.
Recycling needs to be more efficient not only on the environmental side but also the economic side, it’s such a delicate balance and right now the balance honestly seems to not be working. I certainly don’t want to deter people from recycling, because it is a very good way to protect the environment by keeping metals and plastics out of the landfill. I just think there is a way to refine how our waste is being managed to be more efficient, not only for our sake but also the sake of the environment.