Leilani Walker, Lauren Willhite, and Alayna McNally

Mr. Holler
SciVis 1
Dec 11 2015
Recycling
Recycling, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, is the process of
collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning
them into new products. It's a way to reduce waste, and help the environment. Its also one of
the easiest ways to save the planet. All that you have to do is deposit recyclable waste in the
correct container.
The benefits to recycling outweigh the detriments. It reduces waste and conserves by
converting already-used materials into new ones. It prevents pollution, saves energy, and reduces
greenhouse gas emission by preventing the manufacturing of new materials in factories that
pollute the air. Recycling reduces the amount of waste in the landfills, which sustains the
environment for future generations. It even creates jobs for people working in recycling plants.
There are three main phases in the recycling cycle. The first step, collection and
processing, depends on where you live. Waste can be collected on your curbside, at drop off
centers, and through deposit/refund programs. The processing happens when the waste is sent to
a recovery facility to be cleaned and processed. The second is manufacturing, where items
containing recycled material are made. The third phase is for customers to purchase the
materials. They can be bought and sold just like the raw materials. The process then starts all
over again.

Within the processing phase of the cycle, there are several other steps that happen. First,
the waste is shredded and fed into a tumbler, which separates the fine material like food waste,
soil, dusts, and other contaminants from the material. Then, machines separate it by material and
the other contaminants are separated by hand. Lastly, its compressed into bales and wrapped for
transport. These bales are shipped to manufacturers, where its made into new material.
The alternative to recycling is just to dump waste into the garbage. Many Americans
choose to do this, whether it is because of laziness or negligence, it results in 254 million tons of
trash being thrown away in the United States every year. That number could go down
exponentially if Americans would choose to recycle. While recycled paper can almost instantly
be turned into something new, land filled paper takes decades to decay, which takes up about 3040% of the average landfill. This paper, while decaying, releases methane, a gas 20 times more
environmentally detrimental than carbon dioxide. All of this could be recycled, and turned into
newspapers, books or magazines. All oil can be recycled, but hardly any of it ever is. Americans
discard 120 million gallons of oil each year. The recycling rate of 34% in the United States is far
lower than most other countries, the UK being 45%, Germany at 62%, and France recycles 60%.
Its ridiculous to think that making cans from recycled aluminum requires 95% less energy and
creates 90% less greenhouse gases, and still 40 billion cans go to the landfills every year (E.B.).
Recycling preserves the earth.
However, all Americans arent completely hopeless. 1/3 of the solid waste produced in
the United States is recycled. 100 million United States residents are served by recycling
programs. Products in the United States are made from recycled material including; newspapers,
paper towels, steel cans, plastic, glass and aluminum soft drink containers, steel cans, and plastic

laundry detergent bottles. The amount that Americans recycled in 2009 reduced carbon dioxide
emissions to the same amount as taking 33 million vehicles off of the road.
E-waste is the fastest growing type of waste in the world. It is a term describing
electronic equipment at the end of it's useful life (Lerner 693). E-waste holds many toxic
substances including lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated fire retardants. Every year, 130
million cell phones are retired and only 2% don't end up in a landfill. E-Waste is a danger to
Americans and everyone on Earth, and it's important that we dispose of it properly.
Opposite of e-waste is composting, the increasingly popular method of recycling organic
materials (Lerner 3648). It doesn't take a lot of technology and creates an organic fertilizer good
for growing plants. Composting can be done by anyone, from everyday individuals to farmers to
specialized composting facilities.
Critics of recycling say that there's plenty of room for landfills, and that there are better
ways of reducing pollution. New York Times columnist James Tierney calls recycling, "a messy
way to clean up the environment." Despite these arguments, the public support for recycling
remains high. Even with this support, the hierarchy remains: reduce, reuse, recycle. Finding new
ways to use things saves more energy than re-manufacturing them, and not buying them at all
saves even more energy.
The most important thing to remember is that while recycling may seem like a chore, it
plays an instrumental role in keeping the world a safe place to live for generations to come. It
combats global warming and saves money. If everyone does their part, water pollution will be
produced, wildlife will be protected, the economy will get a boost, and jobs will be created. If a
person cares at all about the planet that they live on, recycling is the obvious option.