Cem YILDIRIM
Cynthia APOLLO
Com 102 Section 11
Final Draft
Recycling
Today, in our globalized world, people consume stuff more than they
produce. So where does all this stuff come from? We extract it from the earth,
produce it in factories, distribute it to the whole world and people consume it
and dispose it. This is the linear system of stuff as Annie Leonard explained in
her video ‘Story of Stuff’. But what happens if we keep extracting and extracting?
What happens when we are left with nothing to extract? Because the Earth has
limited sources, and we use them like there is no tomorrow, one day there will
be no water, no air, no mining facilities, no forests or no fishes. So instead of
using stuff and disposing it, we need to make this linear system a cycle. Instead
of disposing, if people can find a way to complete the cycle, like recycling, then
we can put the disposal waste into production stage again, so there will be no
further need for extraction.
When we recycle our stuff, used materials are converted into new
products, reducing the need to consume natural resources. Also recycling
reduces energy usage, reduce air and water pollution. It decreases the amount of
waste sent to landfills or incinerators (Porter,2002). If used materials are not
recycled, new materials are made by extracting fresh, raw materials from the
earth, through mining and forestry. Unfortunately, the earth is running out of
resources. We are using too much stuff, more than we produce. We destroy
forests to make paper, we dig the earth and blow up mountains to get the metals
inside, we use all the water without thinking. Annie Leonard claims in her video,
‘Story of Stuff’, that recycling will not help to solve the problem, but you cannot
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Cynthia APOLLO
Com 102 Section 11
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do Green Chemistry, Zero Waste, Renewable Energy or Closed Leap Production
before you teach people how to recycle. Today, in our world, most of the people
don’t recycle plastic, paper, glass, bottles, cans or aluminum. If we teach them
how to recycle these materials, than the new produced materials will be from old
materials. Also the linear process of stuff becomes a cycle, if people extract,
produce, distribute, consume, dispose and recycle. Then the whole process starts
all over again with the same materials, and without extraction. When all of the
people are aware of this problem and start recycling, we can start using Annie
Leonard’s suggestions like Zero Waste, Renewable Energy or Closed Leap
Production. If people can’t do an easy thing like recycling, how can they adopt to
more complex solutions like Zero Waste, Renewable Energy or Closed Leap
Production?
Recycling has huge effects on environment, because it minimizes the need
for raw materials such as oil. Also using recycled material reduces the energy use
and carbon emission during the production process. And lastly, transport
impacts are reduced. To produce a car from raw materials, you need to collect
from all over the world. The engines are made in Europe, the steel comes from
Asia, electronics come from USA and they are all assembled in Japan or China,
and shipped all over the world, where they came from.(Porter, 2002) But what if
we produce a car from recycled materials? Countries such as China are prepared
to pay high prices for recyclables, because they don’t have available sources for
raw materials, and they have a large manufacturing industry. In addition, using
recycled materials during the production process uses less energy than using
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Cem YILDIRIM
Cynthia APOLLO
Com 102 Section 11
Final Draft
raw materials. By recycling aluminum, people save up to 95% of the energy than
regular production. Also recycling glass, paper, plastic and steel saves up the
energy by 20%-70%. Also it reduces the air pollution by 75%. It also cuts down
the energy use for extraction, because there will be no need for it.(Ackerman,
1997)
To cut down the pollution and reduce oil consumption, car producers came up
with an idea of hybrid cars. These cars operate both on gasoline and electric powered
engines. Producers claim that these cars, like Toyota Prius, will reduce air pollution
and oil consumption. It can get up to 60 miles per gallon of gas. The Prius' battery
contains nickel, which is mined in Ontario Canada. This plant that smelts this nickel
pollutes the area for miles around it and the area is a wasteland because of acid rain
and air pollution.But the main problem that the "Dust to Dust" study has with the
Prius' impact on the environment comes next. That smelted nickel then has to travel
(via container ship) to Europe to be refined, then to China to be made into "nickel
foam," then to Japan for assembly, and finally to the United States. All this shipment
for each tiny step in the production process costs a great deal, both in dollars and in
pollution. The study then concludes that -- all the production costs in mind -- the Prius
costs about $3.25 per mile and is expected to last about 100,000 miles. The Hummer,
on the other hand, with all the same factors counted, costs about $1.95 per mile and is
expected to last about 300,000 miles.(CNW Marketing Research, 2006).
Recycling is the best option for now, so the people and the governments
have to find a way to make people recycle. There are few ways to do it. In some
countries government pays container deposit. When people buy a product in a
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container, a small charge is added to the price. So when the container is returned
to a collection point, the charge is paid back. This program showed 80% of
recycling rate (Ackerman, 1997). Also government can ban the disposal of such
materials, as oil, batteries, tires, etc. These products are toxic and they pollute
nature for thousand of years until they fully dissolve.
So, recycling is the way to keep the cycle going. We cannot extract
materials forever, because they are limited and we can’t use so much energy,
while we can use less. We need to help the environment by giving back what we
take. After disposal, we need to recycle our stuff to put it in production again,
without extraction.
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Cem YILDIRIM
Cynthia APOLLO
Com 102 Section 11
Final Draft
REFERENCES
Ackerman, F. (1997). Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values, and Public Policy.
Island Press.
CNW Marketing Research, Inc (2006). Dust to Dust - The Energy Cost of New Vehicles
From Concept to Disposal
Gleick, P. (2007, May). Hummer versus Prius. California: Pacific Institute
Leonard, A. (2008), Motion Picture: Free Range Studios
Porter, R. C. (2002). The economics of waste. Resources for the Future.
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