Recycling is a process of using old materials to make new objects. Recycling is crucial to limiting our carbon footprints. By using already existing materials, manufacturers do not need to acquire new natural resources. Greenhouse gases that get trapped in the Earth are caused by processing these new materials.
Recycling in the U.S. became very important during World War II as the country needed more steel, rubber, and tin. Americans started to value recycling in the 1960’s which increased in the 70’s. Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22nd, 1972. In 1987 the Mobro 4000 searched the ocean to find littered garbage harming a great number of species. Realizing the need for a cleaner environment, New Jersey mandated the separation of trash and recyclable items.
Dangers of Landfills
The state of Wisconsin banned a variety of items from landfills in 1990. Landfills became a convenient way to get rid of objects that cannot be recycled and are oftentimes necessary to keep communities clean. Methane, also emitted in farms, is released when the mass decomposes. Methane is a harmful greenhouse gas; it traps massive amounts of heat into the Earth’s atmosphere. It is more effective at catching heat than C02, exactly 84 times more.
The US has 3,000 active landfills which continue to grow. 600 acres of land is cleared for each of them. Although the fills are lined with material to prevent leakage from waste, leachate, a liquid, can contaminate water resources. Ammonia from the waste causes eutrophication which is when algae takes in too much oxygen and so does decaying bacteria. Aquatic animals die due to the decrease of sunlight as algae covers the water and a loss of oxygen. More CO2 is released into the atmosphere as excessive algae and fish die off.
How Much of Our Recyclables Items Are Actually Recycled?
Much of the recyclables are not recycled. In 2022, the US is reported to have only recycled 5% to 6%. One of the main culprits of this is “wishful-cycling” where people put objects that are not recyclable like plastic wrap, plastic bags, and clothes which can clog up machines. To better increase the chances of your items being recycled, clean plastic bottles and clean paper without stains caused by oils. Recycling plastic can be especially difficult because plastic can be dyed with many different colors and include different textures. Buyers often did not utilize reused plastic because it degrades with every use. Until 2017, China would buy most used plastic from the U.S.
Metals like steel and aluminum do not degrade with every use. They can be recycled many times and still have the same level of quality as when it was made. Steel is the most recycled material.
Plastics
Plastics are the most convenient product to use. However, it has harmed the environment because it takes anywhere from 50 to 500 years for a plastic bag to decompose. Plastic is dumped into the ocean which causes marine life to get stuck in bags by confusing plastic as food. Microplastics enter the environment which can cause diseases and pass onto humans after being consumed by fish.
The Best Way
To effectively reduce our carbon footprint, it is best to reduce or reuse items. The fewer products we consume the less waste. Be mindful of your environment and use products like cotton bags which can be used for years. Recycling is difficult, so we should look to directly improve our conditions by consuming fewer single-use products.