The topic of this essay is "should recycling be required?" While there are different opinions on this subject, I personally believe that recycling should be required. So, what is recycling?
Recycling is the processing of used materials into new products to prevent waste. Some argue that recycling is good for the environment because it prevents landfills from overflowing and contaminating our air and water. Not recycling is wasteful of resources. It also contributes to global warming because it leads to more manufacturing. Others may disagree, protesting that recycling takes away their personal freedom and that it costs too much. There are several reasons why requiring recycling should work. First, it would be easier for people to remember recycling if it were required. If there were a fine for not recycling, then people would recycle more often to avoid paying money. The second reason is peer pressure. Human nature tends to look to and follow what other people do. For example, if most kids at school were recycling, others might feel motivated to do the same. The third reason is, fear of higher cost. Some people are worried that product costs will go up if we run out of a certain material that is essential to producing something. As a product gets harder to attain, its price becomes higher. This is a concern to many people, which may convince them to recycle more often.
Even now, there are a few countries that have successfully made recycling a requirement. Japan is one of them. Japan has passed a number of laws in which citizens are required to sort their recyclable items. They have even been successful in recycling the more difficult items such as refrigerators, computers, and televisions. The waste from Japan that has gone to landfills is only sixteen percent, whereas the United States sends seventy percent of their waste to landfills. This tremendous difference in efficiency between the two countries shows how required recycling is more organized and productive as opposed to voluntary recycling. Voluntary recycling will not work. Here are three

reasons why I believe this. First, people forget, or they can't find the time because of school or work.
A lot of people would like to help the world by recycling, but only some manage to fulfill their vow.
The second reason is because some people lack the discipline. People tend to follow what they usually do and they don't like to change. If it was up to us whether or not we wanted to recycle, then a lot of people would choose not to. Their lives have fallen into a routine in which they don't recycle and don't plan on redirecting their everyday habits. By requiring the need to recycle, we force them to change and to see things in a different light. They may also think that just one more person who doesn't recycle won't make much of a difference. But what happens when thousands of people are all thinking those same thoughts? Then it makes a huge difference! The third reason is because some people do not believe in recycling. They do not see the threat of global warming and toxic waste. These beliefs may have been caused by religion, upbringing, or influence of people around them. Here are some ways to make a recycling requirement work. One of the first things we could do is to make manufacturers take back complex products like computers and televisions from customers who are finished using them. This will motivate companies to design products that are easily recyclable. This will also make it easier for consumers to recycle electronics. It would also be a good idea to require all retail stores to have a recycling bin on premises. For example, when people stop at a gas station, normally they just toss all their trash in the garbage can. But if there were recycling bins available, they would increase recycling rates as well. In summary, recycling is extremely important to the world. By requiring it, there will be more participation and we will have a chance against the looming environmental threats such as global warming. I firmly believe that every single global citizen should be active in supporting it, and I hope one day that is what will happen. The importance of recycling is something I feel passionately about, and I will always be an active supporter of it.