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.
Work Cited
"Advantages and Disadvantages of
Recycling".Conserve Energy Future.
Conserve Energy Future. Web.19 Nov. 2015.
Brennan,
Jason."Reasons Why You Should Recycle".Affluent Magazine.
Polo Media Group Inc..Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
"Recycling-
Some Benefits and Some Drawbacks" Northern California Compactors Inc.
Northern California Compactors Inc.Web.20
Nov. 2015.
"At recycling center, workers sort 550 tons
of trash a day".HeraldNet.
The Daily Harold
Co.Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
"Climate change: How do we know?".NASA.
NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory.Web.20 Nov. 2015.
Kirsch, Jacob. Personal Interview. 24 Nov. 2015
“legislation/usa/allstatestable”.Bottle
Bill Resource Guide.
Container
Recycling Institute, 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
