Ali Kleit
Eng 1020
Research Paper
Recycling
Michigan is one of the largest demographic states in America with an
estimated total population of ten million. Overall the state is ranked ninth in
population across American States and is relatively small compared to others
including New York, estimated population of twenty million and California,
estimated population of thirty seven million (U.S Census 2009). Considering the
amount of people in each state we accumulate plenty of trash that fill our landfills
daily. All types of trash that include plastic, paper, electronics, food, metals, etc.
which all may be recycled and reused. In our hometown we are one of the cheapest
states to dump in. Michigan is ranked “third in out-of-state trash imports, most of
which come from Canada,”(Khire). So why do we allow such dumping to occur in
Michigan? Are we harming our environment more than boosting our economies
profits?
Recycling has impacted American cities in the past few years in a positive
way. In a large movement through advertisement, government intervention and
teachings at a young age, recycling has been a way of living. It has helped provide
more environmental success producing a healthier living in America. Moreover,
recycling has also created jobs and a large profit margin among industries based on
a study completed in 2001. “According to the study, the recycling and reuse industry
nationwide includes more than 56,000 establishments. Together the businesses
employ 1.1 million people, generate an annual payroll of $37 billion and gross $236
billion in annual sales.” These industries consist of “larger and diverse network of
public sector institutions (e.g., local governments, state agencies, colleges and
universities) and private companies,” which specialize in various types of recycling
materials. As a result these companies help reduce the affect of waste in our
landfills and significantly boost our economy with the production of jobs. In an
article by Elizah Leigh and Demand Media from National Geographic, Effects of
Recycling on Humans, it states that, “While the obvious benefit of burning solid
matter is that it alleviates some of the burden placed on our limited landfill space,
there are two notable drawbacks: the generation of pollution particulates and postcombustion ash, the latter of which typically contains assorted heavy metals.
Recycling preexisting materials, on the other hand, lessens the pollution and litter
entering our natural environment as well as the volume of waste that we bury and
burn.” In making this quote, the authors believes there are drawbacks in the process
of reproducing certain items but also recognizes that recycling not only cleans our
environment it also “lessons the pollution” in our atmosphere. Those unfamiliar
with this thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to creating
better human health and safeguarding our eco-system.
The problem with dumping recyclable recourses in our landfills is
overwhelming. Especially plastics, which is found in bottles, cell phones, containers,
hospital IV bags, computers and food which contain harmful ingredients that will
hurt humans as well as wildlife. The main target of our research is the factor that
causes landfills packed with non-biodegradable items such as plastic bottles that
creates gases in the air through overflowing landfills. Plastic bottles emit a methane
gas when sitting in landfills and take over thousands and thousands of years to
decompose. In recent articles by “authored scientists around the world” they have
compiled studies stating, “Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human
bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other
potential human health effects, plastic debris, laced with chemicals and often
ingested by marine animals, can injure or poison wildlife and people are exposed to
chemicals from plastic multiple times per day through the air, dust, water, food and
use of consumer products.” These are the current problems we face with the
distribution and manufacturing of non-biodegradable plastics in our environment.
The article goes on to say that, “More than 180 species of animals have been
documented to ingest plastic debris, including birds, fish, turtles and marine
mammals, according to the report.” The recommendation of these results can
encourage the reader and assist the constraint of use in plastic bottles in America.
As students here at Wayne State, we are provided with a number of vending
machines, containing plastic bottles, such as Gatorade, energy drinks and water
bottles to quench our thirst. But what do we do with these products when we
consume them? In the inconvenience of near by bottled recycling bins and lack of
knowledge to many, students are not aware of the effects of plastic bottles and our
environment. In a recent study of mine while recently attending four classes this
winter semester, I noticed over one hundred students out off one hundred and fifty
trashing their finished plastic bottles. Even though this research was not collectively
collaborated, when noticing the issue at hand it really opened my eyes of how we
use plastic today. Jessica Knoblauch wrote an article in 2009 combined with more
than sixty scientists’ studies on how plastics impact our environment and human
health. She writes, “Plastic is so resilient that even burying it deep within the earth
doesn’t keep it from impacting the environment. Currently it accounts for
approximately ten percent of generated waste, most of which is landfilled. But, as
the report notes, placing plastics in a landfill may simply be storing a problem for
the future, as plastic’s chemicals often sink into nearby land, contaminating
groundwater.” These problems are being addressed with simple innovative
techniques that aid restrictive use of purchased water bottles. Wayne State has
implemented one of these techniques and installed “hydration stations” that allow
students to fill their own bottles they bring from home with free tap water. This is
one of the ways our school is preventing the use of plastic water bottles. Similar to
Wayne State, a college in Minnesota, College of Saint Benedict, has also set in
“hydration systems,” minimizing the use of plastic bottles and give a free, fast and
easy way to drink water. College of Saint Benedict has actually banned the use of
plastic bottles sold and used on campus and it has been a very wide debate against
groups who prefer water bottles. “According to the Association for the Advancement
of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), 14 colleges and universities in the
United States and Canada have campus-wide bans, while another dozen or so have
bans that cover a portion of campus.” Ultimately, what is at stake here is the
elimination of plastic water bottles amongst colleges. These factors can damage the
profit margin of many companies and create a loss of jobs. Although eliminating the
use of plastic water bottles may seem of concern to only a small group of
environmentalists and people who understand the affects, it should concern anyone
who cares about are human health and wildlife and realize the real affects of such
harmful material.
As a point made in the beginning of the research, “Michigan has some of the
most stringent waste-management laws in the country, but it’s still one of the
cheapest states to dump in, says Milind Khire, associate professor of geotechnical
and geo-environmental engineering at Michigan State University. Khire says average
tipping fees (the money haulers pay to dump their waste at a landfill) in Michigan
are about $25 to $30 per ton for MSW, while the national average is between $40
and $50. “In New York and California, it’s more like $100 to $150 per ton,” Khire
says, “ because land is so expensive.” As the problem exists, Michigan has incurred
other states and countries trash that includes many harmful materials as we spoke
about in the previous sections. The reason for all this in state dumping is “in the
1990s, the state allowed far more landfills to be sited and developed than we really
needed for our purposes in Michigan,” says “Mike Garfield, director of the
environmental advocacy nonprofit The Ecology Center in Ann Arbor”
(Kurlyandchilk). Although I agree with Garfield’s point on the over developmental
sum of landfills which caused our state to continue such dumping, I cannot accept
the fact that we still pushed to have all developed parcels direct use, even though it
created such environmental harm. Furthermore, the use of these landfills could have
been re-developed into projects Michigan could of benefited from, such as factories
to build new jobs, farmland or even open land that improves natural scenery. If you
have ever been to a landfill, it does not only have a disgusting appeal but it also
affects the appeal of near by shops, communities and airports (an example of the
landfill in Romulus, Michigan, adjacent to Detroit Metropolitan Airport.) In the
presence of the current issues with environmental scares including harmful plastics
and reusable resources in our landfills, Michigan has created government programs
such as curbside convenience, established more recycling centers and may offer
economic incentives. These incentives will be provided to businesses that help
utilize recycled materials with tax credits (Michigan Waste Industries Association).
Each approach can reduce the existence on the number of landfills creating a
healthier environment for all.
If you have ever visited the city of Los Angeles, California, there is a
significant amount of gas in the sky that is clearly visible. In the midst of the city
researching the reasons why there is so much polluted gas in their air they came up
with plenty of issues, however there was one issue they could help eliminate. Zero
waste is philosophy that encourages the reuse of resources to its maximum life cycle
(Wiki). The introduction of this program was originated from the group called Zero
Waste International Alliance in 2004, and their goal is to guide people in changing
their lifestyles and practices to reuse as much recyclable resources they have
available (Wiki). In this case communities will bring less garbage and waste filling
their landfills, by separating waste and recyclables at businesses and at their own
residence. It is up to the consumer to put this “philosophy” into effect and based on
their personal convenience and self-actualization. The program is not ultimately
meant to create a 100% zero waste community, but rather to limit the use of their
landfills and help reuse materials that may save energy and money at the end of the
day. According to an article, The Urban Quest for Zero Waste, by David Ferry he
writes, “One of the most comprehensive zero-waste strategies is San Francisco's.
The city has relied on ordinances and regulations to prod citizens and businesses
into wasting less. In 2009, it became the first city in the U.S. to require food
composting for residents and businesses, Rather than throw food scraps and dirty
napkins into the trash, individuals and businesses must chuck their organic material
into city-provided green bins.” Ferry goes on to say, “Along with putting compost in
green bins, individuals and companies are expected to sort plastics, aluminum and
papers into blue bins and garbage in black "landfill" bins. The less waste residents
put in the landfill bin, the less they pay for curbside collection; recycling and
compost collection are free.” As a result of their efforts in creating a more reusable
environment San Francisco has kept out 77% of their solid waste in their landfills.
They are listed as the highest nation to do so (Ferry). The cities that are primarily
using the “zero waste philosophies” usually have limited landfill space, and higher
fees to dump (as we pointed out in the earlier section, Los Angeles, California
chargers more like $100 to $150 dollars per ton). In the case of a “zero waste city” I
agree that it is a useful idea it can benefit all cities and is a point that needs
emphasizing since so many people believe they will never be able to get used to
separating their own garage from recyclables. By demonstrating “zero waste
philosophy,” Zero Waste International Alliance work extends the findings of a
successful process in reducing waste in household and businesses that fill landfills
daily as we seen in San Francisco. In summary, their studies show that with
ordinances and public policy their strategy can potentially become a way of life and
a culture amongst citizens to save their environment.
In addressing the question of recycling and the habits in America we have
come up with many solutions and problems. We have researched the issue at hand
of how recycling continues to be an issue in all major cities, even with a “zero waste
philosophy”. For example, the way plastic bottles in our landfills take over a century
to decompose and affect our wildlife. Michigan landfills, for instance are the least
expensive place to dump in, and are located in near places we have tourists flying
over every single day. As our question in paragraph one asks, are we harming our
environment more than boosting our economies profits? Do we really need to
acquire profits if we are killing off species and using new resources? Each issue can
result in harming our beautiful landmarks, human health and wildlife. My point
about recycling has a more influential basis than just being a convenience for all, but
rather a life savor. So the next time you are taking a the last sip out of your plastic
water bottle, remember the research we have conducted and keep up not smash up
our environment.
Reflection 4
Before entering this class, writing was not one of my strong suits. After
analyzing each section such has reading, writing, research and reflection I
understood that there are specific things a student needs to look for when tackling
each category. Take research for instance, with the help of new techniques in finding
scholarly articles it made it easier to research then typing in questions about a
certain subject.
My research helped me discover beyond what I thought I would find. To find
that Michigan was one of the cheapest states to dump in really opened my eyes. I
figured out that in the 1990’s they had developed so much landfill parcels that led to
such easy dumping in our state. This find made it easier to argue the situation of
overflowing landfills in Michigan. Not only are we all citizens in this state, but also
we are all suffering from overflowing landfills that will harm our bodies.
Each question I posed seemed to be a large scale to bear. Before
understanding what a “zero waste city” was I thought that would be the toughest
question to answer. Come t realize there are actual around twenty cities in America
that have such a strategy in place. Furthermore, this research made my argument
easy to adapt to the audience members, who feel the world would never get used to
separating their trash from recycling. It will help the audience realize with some
public policy and ordinance recycling can be a way of life. Recycling in America
today can help save energy, create jobs, create less pollution and many other factors
that benefit all humans. So keep up and don’t smash up our environment.
Work Cited
Resident Population, United States of America, 2009 Web.
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/ranks/rank01.html
Knoblauch, Jessica. Web. Plastic Not-So-Fantastic: How the Versatile Material
Harms the Environment and Human Health
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=plastic-not-so-fantastic
Viscusi, Kip Huber, Joel Bell, Jason. Web. Alternative Policies to Increase
Recycling of Plastic Water Bottles in the United States
http://reep.oxfordjournals.org/content/6/2/190.abstract
Kopytoff, Verne. Web. The Complex Business of Recycling E-Waste
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-08/the-complex-business-ofrecycling-e-waste
Multiple Authors. March 2002 Lung Cancer, Cardiopulmonary Mortality, and
Long-term Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution, Web.
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=194704
Ackerman, Frank Web. April 11,2008 Recycling
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Recycling
Marohn , Kirsti. Nov ember 15, 2011 Web. Colleges moving away from plastic water bottles
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2011-09-14/water-bottleban-colleges/50404182/1
Kurlyandchilk, Mark. Web. Waste Matters: The State of Michigan's Trash
http://www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detroit/December-2012/Waste-Matters/
Web. Michigan Waste Industries Association
http://www.michiganwasteindustries.org/wpcontent/uploads/2010/01/Michecyle.0621041.pdf
David, Ferry. Web. The Urban Quest for Zero Waste
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904583204576542233226922972.
html
Economic Benefits of Recycling Web.
http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/lwm/recycle/pubs/economic_benefits_of_recycli
ng.pdf