Recycling as a Measure Employed to Conserve the Environment - Essay Example

Recycling
Whether recycling as the scheme, is more efficient in environmental conservation is an issue that requires further study, and this paper explores how the United States government can make sure the recycling process becomes more efficient.

The government, as part of ensuring a more efficient recycling process, needs to consider all packaging processes and increase campaign awareness among consumers to enact change. At the present, Americans continue to bury millions of products they consider as waste in landfills and which, however, can be remanufactured. Further, as cities become more efficient in terms of recycling measures, the government needs to do away with the landfills that pose a danger to health and the environment. Recycling in essence requires appropriate civic behavior and people need to take personal responsibility to make recycling more efficient. Recycling at the moment may account for only one-third of the wastes not dumped in landfills. This is because many people are not participating in recycling everything and the responsible authority such as the municipalities, clear the bins are not meeting the objective required for an efficient recycling process (Briscoe 43). The government needs to engage in the process of establishing new markets or processes suitable for remanufacturing the wide range of plastic materials that end up in the bins or the landfills. Further, as Griff (4) posits in his article the government needs to tighten regulations where more emphasis is focused on the manufacturers recycling waste rather than focusing attention only on consumer waste.

While recycling presents a noble idea in terms of conserving the environment, it should not be viewed as a reward for consumption. People should participate in recycling waste by looking at the wider picture of contributing to a sustainable future. A trend among American consumers involves a mentality where individuals do one thing and views that, as making a contribution to conserving the environment. For example, a consumer may recycle a plastic soda and view that single act to contribute to solving global warming (Kohn 20). Recycling is a continuous process and every time consumers engage in recycling used products, they contribute to minimizing environmental degradation. In terms of improving efficiency, the government needs to view recycling of wastes as an alternative among other measures appropriate in enhancing the recycling process. In this sense, the government needs to consider switching to other measures that assist in environmental conservation. Other than recycling waste, there are many other pollutants that impact negatively and at a higher magnitude compared to plastic waste. In order to implement a more efficient environmental protection program. The government needs to switch to other efficient measures such as the use of renewable resources and energy and consuming locally grown food (Cooper 73).

On another note, a reasonable measure that the United States government needs to take to improve recycling efficiency involves shifting the responsibility to the producer. This entails a government policy approach where, the responsibility to cut on wastes, is channeled to the producers of the products. Such an approach would force producers to invent new and efficient packaging and improve in terms of limiting the use of disposable resources. Conversely, advocating for recycling in the public, as a moral issue encourages individuals to look at issues moralistically. As a result, individuals forget tradeoffs and the need to make compromises. However, in creating awareness of the importance of recycling there is a need to encourage ethos related to respecting voluntary market outcomes (Rosen 17).

To further increase efficiency in relation to recycling, the United States needs to enact laws across the country that may call for mandatory recycling. Such a program would mean a prohibition of recyclables in the bins, businesses, and households. The fines imposed on defaulters, help to reduce irresponsible dumping of recyclable wastes.