Increasing community recycling through policy and public engagement

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.

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."

Newspaper

In the words of McKinney and Schoch (2003, p. 455), "about 38% of America's municipal solid waste is composed of paper and paperboard products." This essentially means that the potential for paper recycling is particularly high; and as a matter of fact, paper remains one of United States' most recycled products. According to McKinney and Schoch (2003) newsprint, glossy paper, as well as writing and printing paper are all commonly recycled. On collection, paper is delivered to a pulping facility that soaks and then heats the said paper, making a pulp which is then cleaned and screened to remove unwanted components such as glue, ink, and other debris. After the refinery and beating process, the pulp is then formed into sheets through the utilization of a special machine. Rolling and drying follows after this. It should, however, be noted that after undergoing numerous sessions of recycling, paper looses its ability to be 'recyclable.' This is because after a while, "the fibers eventually degrade and become unusable for most purposes" (McKinney and Schoch, 2003, p. 456).

How Recycled Material is Reused

Recycled material could be used in a variety of ways. Today, recycled content is routinely being used in the manufacture of products. For instance, as I have pointed out elsewhere in this text, paper remains one of the most recycled products in the U.S. This effectively means that most of the paper products we make use of are made of recycled content, i.e. that newspaper that you read today could be recycled and, two months down the line, be used as a blank sheet to develop a textbook.

Recycled products could also be put to new use, different from that function they served prior to their use and disposal. For instance, glass recovered from asphalt could be utilized in the paving of roads (United States Environmental Protection Agency -- EPA, 2014). Further, recovered glass could also come in handy in the manufacture of park benches or even carpets (EPA, 2014).

The Impact of Creating Renewed Resources from Recycled Items

The impact I have, and many others like me, on creating renewed resources from the various recycled items, is huge. To begin with, the creation of renewed resources from recycled items helps reduce pollution. By recycling items, we reduce the need for waste disposal -- in the conventional sense. In addition to bringing down land filling activity (thus preventing water pollution), this also means that plastics will no longer be burnt (hence preventing air pollution). By creating renewed resources, we also help protect the environment, meaning that we will no longer cut trees for paper. Our actions on this front, particularly with regard to the sustainable use of resources, also prevent the indiscriminate use of materials whose premature depletion could make life difficult for future generations.