Earthcare PKG and Recycling - Essay Example

Recycling Recycling When it comes to dealing with waste products, recycling has always been a part that is integral. Until recently, the decision on whether or not to recycle was left to firms and individuals. For some time now, the way people view trash has changed radically and swiftly. Trash is a product that is unavoidable that comes from consumption and production. Three ways exist in which trash can be dealt with. The three ways are burning, dumping and recycling. Historically, it was commonplace for people to dump trash on site. The scavenging domestic animals such as dogs and pigs mostly consumed the edible parts, and poor people also salvaged what was available. Eventually, people started using ways that were more elaborate when dealing with their trash. Although recycling has numerous benefits on the environment, it is not always a good thing. This paper will first discuss the positive effects that recycling has before discussing some of the negative effects that the process has (McKinney, 2007). Recycling involves processing waste material so that they can become reusable. This is important in energy conservation and reduction of natural resources consumption. When it comes to saving the environment, recycling used products is considered one of the best ways. In order to avoid environmental harm, recycling is very important. Used newspapers, glass and plastic bottles can be recycled effectively to make items that are useful (Ohlman, 2009). First, recycling protects the environment. For example, it is common knowledge that paper comes from trees. When the demand for paper goes up, it would be necessary for more trees to be cut so that more paper can be produced. Recycling paper, therefore, means that destruction of more trees can be prevented (Warner, 2011). Currently, many forests are being cleared so that the demand of paper, which is ever increasing, can be met. By recycling those products that are made from raw materials, natural resources can be saved. When a ton of newspaper or mixed paper is recycled, that translates to saving around 12 trees. A lot of raw material is saved when people recycle things. It reduces the necessity for raw materials like oil, forests and metals, and this reduces the impact of humans on the environment. Recycling also reduces the impact of humans on climate change. Although energy is used in the process of recycling, it greatly reduces climate emissions (Watson, 2009). Recycling also creates jobs. From reprocessing of recyclables, sorting, kerbside collection and composting, recycling creates many jobs. It also helps people towards a living that is sustainable, and it provides an easy way for people to reduce their environmental impact. It introduces the “green” consciousness in the daily lives of people. This makes people consider their production and consumption impact regarding waste and this encourages people to make certain decisions that are geared towards reducing the waste. It also creates a way of living that is cyclic rather than the existing linear model. This helps people develop sustainably, while also reducing their impact on the environment (McKinney, 2007). According to studies, about 4000kw hours of electricity, 27,000 liters of water and 3 oil barrels are utilized if one ton of new paper is produced. For one ton of new paper to be made, a number of resources have to be used. Also, recycling saves a lot of energy. A significant amount of energy resources are consumed for raw material to be processed. Therefore, when used materials are recycled, the energy requirements are reduced in many manufacturing processes like mining and refining. When materials like glass and aluminum are recycled, pressure on energy resources is greatly reduced. For instance, when recycled aluminum is used, it is a big step to saving the environment (Watson, 2009). According to experts, when a ton of aluminum is recycled, the rate of carbon dioxide emissions is reduced by about 12 tons. Recycling helps in conserving resources that would be beneficial even to the future generations. It prevents green house gases like carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere. What is particularly interesting about recycling is fact that those by products that have been received as a result of recycling are potential raw materials that could be used in a variety of manufacturing industries. One of the biggest benefits of recycling is the fact that it increases an environment that is greener and eco-friendly (Watson, 2009). Recycled products are also known to be budget friendly. Purchasing a product that is brand new is often costlier than purchasing a product that has been produced by recycling. To customers as well as suppliers, recycled products are always more affordable. Those companies that manufacture items that are recycled can afford to sell them at prices that are budget friendly because the production cost is often low. Customers can greatly reduce their monthly expenses if they opt for products that are recycled (McKinney, 2007). Another major benefit that comes with recycling is that it reduces pollution. Pollution is the introduction of substances that are hazardous in the form of ordinary waste, chemicals, empty cans and plastics into the environment. Normally, these substances contaminate the environment. Soil and water pollution can be blamed on plastic waste, and this posses various threats to the health of human beings. When plastic is recycled, it can effectively reduce this problem. The process of recycling involves used materials being recovered from the plastic waste, and this is then utilized in the manufacturing industry. The negative effects of greenhouse emissions can also be greatly used by recycling. Consequently, this helps to mitigate the negative effects that global warming has. Manufacturing paper and plastics from material that is recycled requires less amount of energy than making them from material that is new (Ohlman, 2009). However, recycling is not always a good thing. Recycling also has its negative effects, especially the places where recycling has been done are not properly managed. The recovery sites could become unhygienic if debris is collected on a daily basis for recycling. Dump sites that are abandoned can damage the surrounding environment severely. It possible for harmful chemical to mix into soil and water, and this can have some consequences that are devastating. This can result into soil or water pollution, and plants and aquatic life will be harmed greatly. When the harmful chemicals mix with rainwater, a mixture that is poisonous, referred to as leachate is likely to be formed. Normally, this mixture is highly poisonous, especially if it is allowed to reach water supplies (Ohlman, 2009). Recycling paper is also often associated with problems of transportation and cleanliness. Recycling paper is a process that can prove costly, especially given the additional industrial processes that accompany it such as bleaching that are needed for the paper to be reusable. Another problem with recycling is that the product that has been recycled will be of acceptable quality. This is simply because the whole process entails manufacturing products from materials that have been previously used. Further, the process of bleaching which is also involved in the recycling process involves usage of harsh chemicals that can cause various health problems due to exposure. Many individuals and firms may find plastic convenient when it comes to everyday use. However, this is not always easy given the fact that recycling the material is very difficult. Recycling requires different kinds of plastics, and sorting them out is never a task that is easy. For a useful recycled product to be made, the plastic have to be sorted out systematically which is a very tedious process in itself. It is not possible to manufacture a product that is new by simply combining various kinds of plastics (Warner, 2011). Recycling paper conserves landfill space, preserves trees, reduces pollution and saves energy, but it is a process that is very messy. It produces harmful emissions and byproducts while at the same time using caustic chemicals. The negative effects that recycling has explains why the industry has been putting effort to develop techniques that are more earth friendly. Some industry expert’s advice that the way to go about it is to reduce pollution that is paper related and cut the consumption of paper so as to decrease the demand that is associated with recycled paper (Watson, 2009). In as much as recycling paper saves up to seventy percent of energy needed to make virgin paper, the saving is usually one that is very controversial. When the facilities used for recycling remove inks from the paper that is used, the waste is most likely to end up in water bodies. Metals from printing inks such as cadmium, chromium, zinc, lead and copper enter the water stream. The waste water from paper that has been recycled normally contains dioxins which could be harmful (McKinney, 2007). For recycling of materials to be possible, separate factories have to be set up. This only results in more energy consumption for storage, cleaning, sorting and transport. It also results into more pollution. Not all recycling is cost-effective, and some has been known to result in net losses. Another ethical issue that regards recycling is the fact that it creates jobs that are generally low-quality. Such jobs include dealing with toxins that have been produced from the breakdown process, sifting through garbage so as to separate it as well as other labor tasks that are manual intensive. A good percentage of those items that have been marked as recyclable normally end up burned or trashed. This is because of contaminants, poor quality or even lack of resources for handling the items in recycling installations (Warner, 2011). One big disadvantage related to recycling is the fact that it gives people a false “security” sense. Recycling makes people believe that they are doing something that benefits the environment. This is a misconception according to certain studies that suggest that the only benefit that recycling has to the environment is slowing the harm from human folly. Aluminum is one material that is widely considered good for recycling. However, studies reveal that aluminum is not all that environmental friendly. It has been stated that with regards to global warming, aluminum is a huge contributor, and this means that it is causing many problems in our environment. It has also been noted that aluminum is a material that produces nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide during the smelting process. This means that it is a heavy contributor to things like fog and acid rain. Additionally, aluminum is a serious hazard when it comes to electricity, and furthers the argument as to why recycling it is not a good idea (McKinney, 2007). Recycling paper is also not an idea that is positive like it may appear. This is explained by the fact that paper is normally made from pulpwood that people get from soft wood trees like pine. Recycled paper has to be collected, shredded, cleaned and treated chemically before turned into lesser quality paper. For recycled paper to be treated, more chemicals have to be used than was even used in the original paper. This means that more substances are released into the atmosphere (Ohlman, 2009). Cost is yet another problem that puts question marks on recycling. The whole process of recycling is an expensive one given the fact that it also involves the cost of trucks needed to collect the materials that have been recycled. Additionally, those trucks that are used to collect recycled materials only increase toxic diesel emissions, and this offsets any environmental gains that are associated with recycling. The ink on paper products is another problem normally associated with recycling. Before newspapers are recycled, toxic chemicals are usually used to remove the ink. These chemicals are likely to end up in the environment. This has an effect that is harmful on animals and plants (Warner, 2011). Another issue concerning recycling is the energy amount that is used. Aluminum, petroleum and wood products need a lot of energy to reuse and refine. Experts state that people need to comprehend how money works before they can state that recycling saves money. It takes a lot of resources, energy and labor to distribute and manufacture things like paper and bottles. In some instances, the cost of making new items is even cheaper than going through the whole process of recycling them. Further, some critics of recycling state that the assertion that people are running out of landfills is only a misconception. They state that there is enough room for storage of rubbish that can even last another thousand years. People only need to put a lot of emphasis on reducing the quantities of rubbish that they generate. Usage of safe materials that is biodegradable means that they can safely be land filled. In as much as recycling greatly helps to save resources, it also uses a lot of the resources. What many people fail to understand is that recycling is a manufacturing process in itself because it uses resources. The paper pulp that created as a result of recycling is put into machines which themselves give out substances that pollute the environment (Watson, 2009). It is clear that in as much as recycling could be beneficial, it could also be hurting the environment. If materials could be recycled without harmful substances being utilized, then the whole process may be worth continuing. Before such measures are taken, creating new substances may be the choice that is wiser after all (Ohlman, 2009). References McKinney, M. L. (2007). Environmental Science: Systems And Solutions. Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Ohlman, Z. (2009). Experimental Eco Design: Architecture, Fashion, Product. Hove : Rotovision. Warner, G. C. (2011). The Clue in the Recycling Bin. New York: Albert Whitman and Company. Watson, S. (2009). Making Good Choices About Recycling and Reuse. 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