Amy Plastow
English 101
Professor Begert
20 November 2015
Do you
think that you can make an outstanding impact on what happens in the future?
Most people would say no to that question because it seems that only well-known
people like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs could do something that big that has an
impact on the future. But that isn’t always the way things have to be. One
example is how you can change the atmosphere, one step at a time, therefore you
can change the future, starting right now! If you weren’t so immediate to
answer that first question then I’ll ask you this, do you want to change the
world? Almost everyone would answer that question with a big YES! Everyone
wants to change the Earth in some way, the specific way to change the world
that I am talking about is by recycling.
Everyone
on this planet wants to be here as long as they feel they should, and everyone
including you probably want their grandchildren and great grandchildren to have
that same experience. So in order to ensure that everyone will have the life
they should live, people have to make some changes to their lifestyles. That
can start with recycling, you can will reduce the effects that cause global
warming significantly. If global warming gets stopped, even if it’s temporary
by a few thousand years, you are still extending the globe’s lifespan and it
thanks you for that.
I myself
have been recycling for as long as I can remember. Before I was born it wasn’t
as popular, but my parents made sure to reuse anything that they could and to
be cautious where they dispose their items. When my sister and I got to the age
where we started realizing what am impact recycling has, we started doing it
almost immediately. Now we recycle paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, glass
and more. Anything that can basically be recycled, we do it all.
We want planet Earth to stay here as long as
possible, life is precious and it shouldn’t end from greenhouse gasses that
partially could have been reduced from recycling. There are several good things
that come out of recycling. But, there are some downsides to it as well.
Recycling
can protect the environment, for example, when we recycle paper, less trees are
getting cut down because the demand for paper is getting lessened, so they have
to shorten the supply. When less trees are getting cut down we are saving all
of the species that depend on the forest for protection, shelter, and a home.
According
to Conserve Energy Future, when you
recycle there is less pollution getting sent out into the atmosphere Jason
Brennon who works for Affluent Magazine
says that recycling just half of your yearly recyclable household waste saves
2,400 pounds of CO2 being released into the atmosphere? So if everyone globally
starts recycling their recyclables year round then we could slow down global
warming. Additionally, when massive waste is burned it produces a tremendous
amount of greenhouse gas emissions, like CO2 and CFC’s (Chlorofluorocarbons) (CEF). Recycling centers make sure that
their burning process has the least amount of wasted gases. They take whatever
gas’s that are given off in the burning process and contain them, then they
make sure those gasses are used for something they are needed for.
Recycling
will allow you to conserve natural resources. When a new product is made, fresh
raw materials from beneath Earth’s surface will have to be mined and extracted,
which is a lot of unnecessary work to do.
It makes a lot more sense to use what we already have on the surface and
just reuse it. We can change its form, density, all sorts of things, so why do
people have the need to continuously bringing new materials up from below? By
recycling we can save the Earth’s materials and get what we want at the same
time! It’s a win-win situation. (CEF).
Plastic
is a non-biodegradable item, which means that it will never break down and
compost. Unlike a banana peel that will dissolve into the soil. So if you ever
see a plastic bag on the side of the road while on a walk you should pick it up
and recycle it, because it will still be there 2000 years later, potentially
harming the soil and stopping plants from growing.
Fossil
fuels takes millions of years to form, so we have to reduce the usage of them
if we want to have some for the future generations. We have to use these fossil
fuels wisely and carefully. Recycling doesn’t use any fossil fuels, so that is
one way that you can stop using the fossil fuels.
In some
states of the USA you get money back for recycling, which is a good motive if
you are going to start recycling. The states that pay you to recycle are
California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New
York, Oregon, and Vermont. My friend Jacob has a family member who lives in
Connecticut, he says, “There is a machine that you can put your aluminum cans
in one by one and you get a receipt for it with money”.
One of the downsides to recycling is that
Methane gas is produced during the process of burning/melting down recyclables.
If that gas gets leaked out, then it is hazardous to global warming and also to
ozone depletion. Like I mentioned before, it does happen, which is why the
recycling centers try their hardest to not let the gasses leak out. If it does
happen it wouldn’t be as much methane being put out into the ozone layer than
if you didn’t recycle at all. If people have any concerns with the jobs of
people when sorting through wastes and coming across toxins they should know
that the employers are safe when they are at work. The average recycle plant
worker goes to work wearing a hard hat, goggles, two layers of gloves and high
top, steel-toed boots. Also, if any chemical does come in contact with them
they take care of it as soon as possible if not immediately (HerladNet).
Some people might say that Global Warming is
a myth, that it isn’t real. Actually, thanks to science we know that for
650,000 years the carbon dioxide (parts per million) level has not been above
300 (PPM), right now it is at 400(PPM). That is a huge increase for the
atmosphere. The warming trend right now is most likely human-induced. (NASA)
As you can see by now, recycling is important
to me, and it should be important to you as well. If you aren’t sure on how you can start
recycling it is not hard at all. You just have to get a bin(s) that you can put
all your recyclables in, separating them of course by material. Make sure to do
your research on where the closest recycle bins are, either you can bring them
there and dump them out yourself or you can pay to have the county come out and
get them.
Recycling is really a magnificent thing to
do, who ever thought of it is a genius! Buying recycled items like carpet,
purses, and shoes are getting more and more popular every day. Just think twice
before you throw your soda can into the garbage, it could be going somewhere
else, where the materials would be getting reused instead of buried in stinky
garbage. I recycle, my family recycles, and you should too. Start recycling
today and save planet Earth.
