The Ethics of Recycling and Its Nature - Coursework Example

Ethics on Recycling al Affiliation Ethics on Recycling Introduction The global population is rising with every year. A consequence of increasing global population is that a lot of materials are being utilized. This translates to a lot of waste material being produced. Proper disposal of the waste is impacting heavily on many nations’ finances. This strain has contributed to disposal of waste materials haphazardly leading to environmental pollution. Environmental pollution has led to the increase of many diseases due to poor sanitation (Yang, 2006). The poor conditions provide an environment for pathogens to multiply hence the increased disease state globally. Increased diseases have impacted negatively on the productivity of the society. The disease also lowers the quality of life of people. Problems arising from environmental pollution can be decreased by reducing the amounts of waste material produced (Eisenberg, 2011). This can be achieved by promoting recycling of materials. Waste material produced can either be biodegradable (for example, organic materials) or non biodegradable (for example plastics). Recycling of these materials can be achieved by reuse or processing into other materials for use (Eisenberg, 2011). Recycling is also aimed at conserving the environment. This is through renewal of natural resources. Recycling is ethically right as it contributes to the sustainability of the population and ensuring their well being. Ethical aspects of recycling include saving money, reducing the impact of pollution on the environment and contributing towards a sustainable environment. Impacts of Environmental pollution Pollution in the environment is due to accumulation of waste products (Eisenberg, 2011). This accumulation impacts negatively on the environment. Environmental pollution results in increased risks to diseases. Insect such as flies and other pathogenic organisms thrive in waste. Insects and microorganisms serve as vectors and they transfer pathogenic microbes to humans and animals causing diseases (Fahlquist, 2008). Environmental pollution impacts negatively on the finances of an individual and government revenue. Increased risk of diseases leads to increased expenditure on medical care. This lowers the quality of life of people. Pollution can result in loss of human and animal lives. Chemical wastes released into the air or in water bodies can have fatal effects on living things (WNA, 2013). The government also utilizes a lot of money in cleaning the environment. Pollution impacts negatively on the productivity of a society. This is due to decreased natural resources such as land. Sustainability of the environment through recycling is important to support the quality of life. Ethical Aspects of Recycling We are all bound by ethical obligations to safeguard the well being of each other and the well being of the future generation (Fahlquist, 2008). Recycling ensures sustainability of people through two main ways. Recycling sustains people by providing a source of income. This is ethically right as enabling a person financially helps lift their lifestyles. Recycling plants employ many workers. Studies carried out in the United States show that approximately 1.1 million people are employed to work in recycling plants (Eisenberg, 2011). The people employed in these plants gain the capability of improving their lifestyles and provide a better life for their children. Everybody has a right to have a good life. At this age, money affords the requirements needed to live a good and comfortable life. The increase in income allows parents to afford good schools that offer quality education. This will give the children necessary skills to help them be independent and thrive in the future. Thus, recycling processes help in propagation of quality life through generations. The recycling plant also helps contribute to the growth and development of the society. This is through the generation of income towards economy building. Money generated by these plants make it possible for the government to afford basic requirements such as food and healthcare to the society. Recycling processes are considered as cost effective compared to a collection of waste products (Eisenberg, 2011). This is in the sense that the collection of waste products requires input of finance in collecting requirements and a way to dispose that waste material. It is also cheaper compared to incineration processes involved in waste disposal. Some materials such as plastics and other none biodegradable materials pose a challenge when it comes to their disposal. When released to the environment, none biodegradable contributes to environmental pollution as they do not decompose. Accumulation of disposal of none biodegradable materials renders the land unusable leading to a high cost of living due to decreased productivity and increased risk for diseases. Sustainability is also regarded in terms of natural resources. Everyone is accountable to ensure that the environmental surroundings of other people are safe. At this industrial age, the power of nations is measured by their capability to manufacture. As a result, there has been erection of many industries to afford the nation’s competitive capabilities at a global level. However, these industries are causing more harm than good and they threaten the well being of everybody. Industries dealing with chemical products produce a lot of waste products in terms of fumes and solid waste (Fahlquist, 2008). Many industries manufacture products on a large scale. Thus, the magnitude of wastes produced is enormous and disposing it is challenging and cost ineffective (Fahlquist, 2008). Some industries channel the waste product to rivers and lakes. This practice has been defined as unethical as it results in destruction of the ecological habitat of marine animals and plants. Channeling of chemical wastes to water bodies has resulted in large scale death of marine animals (Yang, 2006). This contradicts the ethical requirements to hold the life of each living organism. Recycling helps deal with the ethical issues that people are bound to. For example, in manufacturing industries, the chemical wastes being produced can be processed to less harmful and even beneficial materials. Waste chemical can be reacted to produce energy which can be converted into heating processes for the industrial processes (WNA, 2013). This helps solve the energy requirements of the industries, reducing their reliance on natural resources that produce energy. Some materials such as plastics are not biodegradable. Their reuse and recycling helps keep the environment clean, making it safe. Recycling of plastics is beneficial and cost effective as compared to disposing them. Plastics can be melted and remolded into useful household and industrial products. Recycling of plastics is cheap and helps reduce utilization of natural resources. Recycling of renewable resources ensures sustainability of the resources for future generations, and at the same time maintains the daily lives of people (Eisenberg, 2011). Energy is one of the renewable resources and it makes the life of each person easy. Energy is derived from other natural resources such as petroleum oil, trees, and water. A constant supply of energy is used to drive lives of people and even support critical processes such as maintenance of life. Harnessing of energy from natural resources has increased the life span of people and has made it possible for critically ill people to access medical care. Depletion of these natural resources would result in decreased energy production, leading to a decreased life span of people (WNA, 2013). Each person utilizes a lot of natural resources in a day (for example, water). Continued use of these natural resources without renewing them will lead to their depletion. For example, trees play a role in recycling of the air. Trees utilize carbon dioxide expired by humans and animals to make food. The plants then transpire and releases oxygen which serves respiration requirements of living organisms. Sustainability of trees by planting and reduced exploitation ensures clean air and increased rainfall. The increased rainfall contributes to the lives of people by sustaining energy production. Water is also a mandatory component in the lives of all organisms. Water sustains life by being a component of living things. It also provides a medium for life chemical processes such as metabolism of food to take place. Water is a habitat for living organisms such as the marine life. It also supports the growth of plants utilized as a food source. By failing to safeguard and maintain the natural resources, all life processes will come to a halt resulting in life being wiped off. Mechanisms applied to achieve and maintain ethical aspects of recycling Environmental pollution has been attributed to human activities. Working towards a safe environment is everyone’s responsibility. This can be done by every individual engaging in recycling processes. Recycling processes Contributing towards the maintenance and sustainability of a pollution free environment is the responsibility of every living being (Eisenberg, 2011). Recycling processes are not limited to industries only. Each individual can contribute towards recycling. This can be achieved starting with the immediate environment and extending to our homes. Proper disposal of waste materials in designated garbage points contributes to a pollution free environment. At home, recycling of natural resource such as water can be easily carried out. For example, water used for laundry can be reused to wash pavements and other surfaces. This reduces water wastage and contributes toward a sustainable environment (Eisenberg, 2011). None biodegradable materials contribute to pollution of the environment. This is attributed to their stability against degradative agents causing their accumulation. Reuse of plastics in the house reduces their disposal hence reducing environmental pollution. Raising awareness This is one of the mechanisms that can be used to initiate and promote recycling. This can be done by educating people on the benefits and consequences of promoting a pollution free environment. Educating people can be done by holding workshops. The workshops can be directed at teaching people about the benefits of recycling and the negative effects of environmental pollution. People can also be taught how to reuse their waste materials or transform them to other useful substances (Yang, 2006). An example is in dealing with organic waste materials such as food remnants and plants. Designated area can be set for their disposal and agents that promote decomposition introduced to the heaps. The decomposed materials can then be utilized as manure in farms. None biodegradable materials can be collected by industries and melted to make new plastics to be used in households. Limitations to ethics on recycling People love convenient alternatives rather than reuse and recycling (Fahlquist, 2008). For example, when going to shop very few people carry the plastic bags they already have at home. Retailers offer packaging services for their customers and this reduces the necessity for reuse of materaisl such as plastic bags. This is more convenient than reuse of plastic bags. Another limitation to ethical stand on environmental conservation is lack of moral obligation. People tend to feel that everybody has their tasks defined for them. For example, picking litter at the pavement side and they are people awarded that task. People also feel that everyone else is polluting the environment, thus; their personal efforts will not produce significant impact. People also feel that it is not their responsibility to evoke an ethical stand in other people. People also feel that recycling should be limited to designated bodies. People feel that recycling and environmental sustainability should be carried out by the government as they contribute towards the income that is used to fund such activities (Fahlquist, 2008). Lack of cooperation among people living in a community affects the positive attitude of others who want to change their environment. This lack of driving force and unity among people in one community produces retrograde progression. This is where one individual will engage in recycling practice while the others continue to pollute the environment. The positive change produced at an individual level is overwhelmed by the negative activities and thus, no real change is achieved. Another major limitation is that there are no clear ethical stands on recycling. This leaves people to interpret their ethical standards within the parameters they exist in. Lack of defined ethical parameters does not provide definitive instructions to guide people. Conclusion Environmental affects the lives of each person through lowering the quality of life. This is due to increased risk of diseases, high cost of living, and decreased productivity. Ethical requirements to maintain the environment arise due to the obligation to improve the quality of life. Recycling helps improve the lives of people. Recycling reduces the negative impacts of waste materials on the environment. Therefore, the environment is sustained for even the future generations. Recycling processes creates job opportunities for people. Increased income improves the living status of the community at large. Economically, carrying out recycling processes is cost effective compared to the cost of incineration and land filling. References Eisenberg, S. (2011). Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse. Green Life. http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/0802.asp Fahlquist, N.J. (2008). Moral Responsibility for Environmental Problems- Individual or Institutional? J Agric Environ Ethics. DOI 10.1007/s10806-008-9134-5. http://ethicsandtechnology.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/jes.pdf World Nuclear Association (WNA). (2013). Sustainable Energy. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Energy-and-Environment/Sustainable-Energy/ Yang, T. (2006). Towards an Egalitarian Global Environment Ethics. ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY – ISBN 978-92-3-104039-9 – © UNESCO. http://publishing.unesco.org/chapters/978-92-3-104039-9.pdf Read More