Recycling should be Mandatory

All around the world countless numbers of people like the thought of recycling, but most individuals never choose to recycle. Recycling is a process in which you take materials that you would normally throw away and reuse them to form new products (Rinkesh). University students around the world studied that environmental awareness has to do with how much we choose to recycle (Ramayah). For the people who do choose to recycle trash or other recyclable goods usually do it to reduce the amount of pollution that enters the air which can be a leading factor for climate change.

Two other reasons as to why recyclists are in favor of reusing trash is because it can conserve some resources that can help protect our natural habitats by lowering greenhouse emissions produced by harmful waste(Superadmin) and recycling can also save energy by reducing the amount of sources we make while we can just reuse the sources (Superadmin).

Although, some individuals think that recycling can be too expensive to continue to participate in because of initial setup costs (Ecologist), and could put people at risk of dangerous toxication by reusing trash or products that may have left over dirt and could be unsanitary (Ecologist). One other problem individuals have with converting waste is that it does not have a long lasting effect because of how much materials we use today and people think that it is a waste of time, money, and effort (Ecologist). Overall, recycling can be a great thing for the environment but is it great for us? This leads to many of us asking the question if the pros of recycling outweigh the cons, so should we make it mandatory for people around the world to take part in?

The first perspective of this argument is that we should make it mandatory for people around the world, but why? Making recycling mandatory won’t only save the environment but can save our problem with global warming. This is because by recycling you reduce the amount of pollution that enters the air, which can lead to less greenhouse emissions (Green Guardian). Landfills also have a major impact on the amount of pollution there is, by reusing products it can lessen the space taken by waste to reduce pollution that landfill waste gives off to the environment (Rinkesh). Brenner says “about eighty percent of the material in landfills consist of solid waste, some of which could be recycled.” (Siencing) which could be very crucial to saving our what used to be green earth. Pizza Hut is also taking a part in reducing waste by using round pizza boxes. Using these boxes are proven to make less waste because of its round shape with less room, and the box is made up of plant fibers so it can be organically composted (Washington Post). One study across ten OECD countries showed that recycling is great for the environment and should be “civic duty” (Halvorsen).

The other reason why many people believe that recycling should be mandatory is because of its ability to save our natural habitats. Since not recycling can cause climate change, climate change can lead to lower amounts of dissolved oxygen which can danger many of the wildlife habitats (Rogers). One example of trash affecting wildlife is the world wide problem of plastic in our oceans. Studies say that “more than 100,000 marine animals die each year from ingestion or entanglement with floating debris” (Rogers). Not only is plastic harmful for the environment, electronics have the same dangerous outcomes just as regular trash. Electronics can contain metals and hazardous chemicals which can get into the ground or water and make an environment more dangerous for wildlife.

A geological survey states that nearly two-thirds of Americans get their water from freshwater sources which can be contaminated from electronics which is harmful (Rogers). Just by recycling our trash can help decrease the chances of a habitat being destroyed because we can keep the waste away from the animals. Lastly, recycling can be a great way to save energy. When you make new resources it can consume a lot of energy, by recycling it can decrease the amount of energy you use because you are making less products by reusing them (Geosciences). One study to prove this perspective is that across ten OECD countries the results had shown that recycling is great for the environment and should be considered “civic duty” (Halvorsen).

On the other hand, there is always a con to the pros. Many people believe recycling should be mandatory around the world but there are always individuals that disagree. To the people one of the main reasons why they think it shouldn’t be mandatory is because it can be too expensive. This Many argue that the three-hundred dollars spent to send aways recycled objects could be spent on something other than recycling (Tsang). Another reason to this side of the perspective is that there can be toxic substances left over from uses before. All of the recycled products came from somewhere and that could have been somewhere unsanitary which increases the risk of individuals getting sick (Ecologists) Recycled objects that include chemical exposure can also be powerful to the equipment that is being used to move waste from place to place or where it is being held (Leadpoint).

Problems can also occur while recycling, like throwing something away in a recycling bin that is not actually meant to be recycled and can cause dangerous troubles in composting process (Westervelt). The third reason for why people think that composting and reusing products should not be required is because it does not have a long lasting effect towards the environment and could be just a waste of time. Most of the objects you recycle do not have a long life because it can either be overused or they can be too fragile to use over again (Ecologist).

Overall, my opinion is that recycling should be made mandatory for people around the world. I feel that the pros of recycling outweigh the cons, but we have to take action into some of the cons to make recycling even more safe and effective than it already is. Our world is already going through major problems with climate change and the trash left in the oceans or streets are killing animals, wildlife, and the planet. With recycling we can save the planet from dying as fast as it is and it’s not too late if we start not. A study found that if that people around the world where to recycle aluminum twice as much as we did today, then over a million tons of pollutants would be kept out of the atmosphere (Brenner). Studies also say that if more people recycled it would reuse fifty- percent of the volume of water in landfills (Brenner). In conclusion, if recycling was mandatory around the world then these numbers would be higher and the planet would be cleaner and pollution would not be a big problem anymore.

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