Ben Tario
Matrix Problem 2: Recycling
Recycling has been made out to be a large scale solution to the problem of pollution and
sustainable production. However it is way more of a problem than a solution because of
peoples’ skewed views on what recycling actually means, and how recycling is actually done.
Some materials require more resources to recycle than what they are worth in either materials
or dollar value. And a majority of materials requiring higher energy to recycle are simply
exported to developing countries with little to no regulations, to be recycled at much cheaper
rates.
Many of the ways that recycling actually hurts the environment are outlined here:
http://listverse.com/2013/01/27/10-ways-recycling-hurts-the-environment/ . The article states
that contamination is one of the larger problems that lower the effectiveness of recycling.
Toxic products housed in a recyclable container may end up being present in trace amounts in
whatever the product is recycled into. The article also states that many plastics cannot be
recycled at all. There are about 7 types of plastic that are commonly utilized, but only 2 of
those types are recyclable.
Many of our electronic components are exported to places like China for recycling. The
effects on a local level in Guiyu, a village in China that accepts a large amount of electronics
from the US for recycling, are noted here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/science/earth/15obrecy.html?_r=0 . The article shows
the waste that litters the streets of Guiyu, which often have toxic chemicals still in them.
“Family members melt the tin-lead solder on the boards to remove chips and other
components for sale, with only small household fans for ventilation”. These extremely poor
working conditions expose citizens and especially workers to toxic chemicals such as lead and
zinc.
These other types of plastics are not recyclable because of how they are made. There
are other factors that exclude certain plastics from safe recycling detailed here:
http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/06-when-recycling-is-bad-for-the-environment .
The article states that only 6.8% of total plastics are recyclable. It is stated in the article that,
“the two most common types are plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, or PETE), which is
used mainly in soda and water bottles, and #2 (high-density polyethylene, or HDPE), used in
things like detergent bottles and milk jugs. Unfortunately, while plastics marked #1 or #2 are
generally considered to be recyclable, not all containers with those numbers actually are”.
Different plastics contain different additives that effect physical properties such as melting
point. This means that all plastics cannot be simply melted down together into a new material
because they are not uniform. Also, the additives in some plastics can cause harmful chemicals
to be emitted while they are being processed for recycling.
Bibliography + Annotations
Handley, Andrew "10 Ways Recycling Hurts the Environment - Listverse." Listverse. N.p., n.d.
Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://listverse.com/2013/01/27/10-ways-recycling-hurts-theenvironment/> .
Andrew Handley is a freelance writer that has written dozens of articles that inform people about topics
in a very concise manner. He sometimes writes specifically for people from industrial workplaces that
desire more information about a certain topic. He grew up in North Carolina and attended Appalachian
State University, then moved to Costa Rica to experience new cultures while pursuing writing.
The main topic of the text was the outlining of ten different ways that recycling is actually harmful to the
environment.
The main topic is fleshed out by giving different examples of how recycling can be environmentally
harmful. One example is that recycling materials that once contained toxic substances can cause toxic
chemicals to reside in the product that is made from those recycled components. Another example is that
five out of seven commercial plastics on the market toady actually cannot be recycled. A third example is
that recycling is barely curbing the overall demand of the goods that can be recycled because of our
consumption driven culture.
Some quotes that capture the text include:
“The worst part is that sometimes we don’t know when something’s contaminated—until it’s too late. For
example, we’re just realizing that hundreds of buildings in Taiwan made from recycled steel have been
giving people gamma radiation poisoning—and not the good kind—for the past twelve years.”
“There are about seven types of plastic that you’ll find in day to day life, and only two of them are
recyclable. Anything else placed in a recycling bin will be collected, processed, and sorted, and then
thrown straight into a landfill.”
“It costs $4,000 US to recycle one ton of plastic bags, but a ton of recycled bags only sells for $32! As a
result, about 300,000 tons of them end up in a landfill every year.”
The arguments made in the text directly support the idea that recycling is not efficient enough at its
present stage.
I mentioned that toxic contamination of products made from recycled material can occur and that only 2
out of 7 different types of plastic are recyclable.
Fountain, Henry. "Recycling That Harms the Environment and People." The New York Times. The
New York Times, 14 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/science/earth/15obrecy.html?_r=0>.
Henry Fountain is a writer for the New York Times whose writing pertains to engineering mostly, but has
written about topic from earthquakes to oil spills. He was a columnist for the Science Times from 2000 to
2010. Henry has been with the Times Union since 1995.
The main topic of the text is the adverse effects the exporting of electronics to Guiyu from the US has on
the people living there.
The main topic is fleshed out by showing an image from Guiyu that displays hundreds of circuit boards
lying in the street. This type of clutter is all around the small village. The article also explains that the
workers that recycle these components by hand do so in tight spaces such as small vans with little
ventilation. The article also states that amounts of lead that are contained in the dust from recycling
were 2400 times higher than acceptable levels, and that levels that high are causing nearby streets and
facilities to have levels that are also far above acceptable.
“China, home to a cottage industry of family-run recycling workshops. These are typically set up inside
homes, where family members melt the tin-lead solder on the boards to remove chips and other
components for sale, with only small household fans for ventilation.”
“As reported in Environmental Science and Technology, they found extremely elevated levels of lead, zinc
and other metals in the workshops. Lead levels, for example, were up to 2,400 times commonly accepted
optimum levels.”
“Even neighborhood schoolyards and markets were affected, suggesting that people spread contaminated
dust as they walk around.”
The evidence provided in the text shows how exporting products for recycling causes hazardous
conditions for people in the areas with little regulation doing the recycling at very cheap rates.
I mentioned the toxicity that the small villages doing the recycling are exposed to, and how the US
continues to export electronic components for recycling because it is profitable to do so.
Cernansky, Rachel "January/February 2015." Discover Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
<http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/06-when-recycling-is-bad-for-the-environment>.
Rachel is a freelance that lives in Boulder, Colorado. She writes mostly about green business and also
writes about environmental justice and politics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia
University.
The main topic of the text is the difficulty that is associated with recycling some plastics that are labeled
as recyclable.
The main topic is fleshed out by describing the two different types of plastics that are labeled as
recyclable. Also, by explaining why these plastics are sometimes not able to be recycled. The article also
explains how additives in plastics change their melting point, and therefore don’t allow for all plastics to
be melted down uniformly into a new product.
“But not all plastic can be recycled, and only about 6.8 percent of the total plastic used in the U.S. actually
goes that route”
“Plastics are chemically categorized by numbers, which are displayed inside the chasing-arrow icon on
many plastic containers. The two most common types are plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, or
PETE), which is used mainly in soda and water bottles, and #2 (high-density polyethylene, or HDPE), used
in things like detergent bottles and milk jugs. Unfortunately, while plastics marked #1 or #2 are generally
considered to be recyclable, not all containers with those numbers actually are.”
“Every container in the grocery store is made with a unique blend of chemicals—plasticizers, molding
agents, dyes—that combine to give a plastic its shape, color, strength, and flexibility (or lack thereof). As a
result, they melt at varying temperatures and respond differently to new additives, and so they cannot all
be melted down and recycled together to make a new product.”
The article supports my focus by describing the difficulties associated with recycling different kinds of
plastics.
I mentioned that only the two types of plastics described in the article could be recycled, and that the
sorting process for recycled goods is under a great deal of stress and is not efficient.
Collage Sources

"Official Google Blog." Official Google Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
<http://googleblog.blogspot.com/>.

"10 Ways Recycling Hurts the Environment - Listverse." Listverse. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
<http://listverse.com/2013/01/27/10-ways-recycling-hurts-the-environment/>.

"CNG Waste and Recycling Collection Trucks Arrive in Vancouver." - Waste Management World. N.p., n.d.
Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.waste-management-world.com/articles/2011/03/cng-waste-andrecycling-collection-trucks-arrive-in-vancouver.html>.

"Is Your Life Too PLASTIC? - Healthy Crush." Healthy Crush RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
<http://healthycrush.com/is-your-life-too-plastic/>.

"Recycling Low Impact - Google Search." Recycling Low Impact - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct.
2014.
<https://www.google.com/search?q=recycling+low+impact&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&source=lnms
&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=d7FTVMvaC4fasASStYDACw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#safe=off&tbm=isch&q=perfect+gr
een+earth&facrc=_&imgdii=2Uw-x6CEc481gM%3A%3B4emYeoIavIRGDM%3B2Uwx6CEc481gM%3A&imgrc=2Uwx6CEc481gM%253A%3Bkr5PbtD2ahpmPM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww2.palomar.edu%252Farchitec
ture%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F08%252F1065219181024x974.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww2.palomar.edu%252Farchitecture%252F%253Fattachment
_id%253D292%3B1024%3B974>.