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Zeb Murray
English IV AP
Mrs. Wilson
5/13/16
Recycling
Thesis: As population increases, recycling will become a necessity to the longevity of the world
because of the many environmental and economic benefits it provides.
I. History of Recycling
II. All about Recycling
A. Recyclable materials
B. Recycling processes
C. Statistics
III. Environmental
A. Preserves natural resources
B. Statistics
C. Pollution Reduction
IV. Economical
A. Jobs
B. Statistics
C. Future growth
V. Conclusion
Recycling

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Recycling is the collection and separation of recyclable materials for the purpose of
remanufacturing the material into new products. With the constant growth of the worlds
population, this process has seen increased practice over the years. As the demand for consumer
goods has risen because of population increase, nations have realized that adopting the practice
of recycling will not only conserve natural resources, but also cut down on economic stress. As
population increases, recycling will become a necessity to the longevity of the world because of
the many environmental and economic benefits it provides.
Recycling has been around for many centuries, and is believed to date back as early as
400 BC. During difficult situations in early civilizations, such as war or famine, archeologists
have found that almost all recyclable materials were recycled. Continuing into the modern era,
the United States, for example, also relied on recycling to keep the nation going through difficult
times of war (History of Recycling). The introduction of crises into these nations fueled their
incentive to recycle during the period of the crisis, however, in the future the act of recycling will
constantly fueled by the need to support the sheer number of individuals that will inhabit the
Earth.
The world contains an enormous amount of recyclable materials that, if recycled instead
of thrown away to sit in the landfills, can be reused to cut down on the amount of resources
expended compared to a recyclable material that is produced from scratch. Paper is widely used
by just about everyone, therefore the demand is great. Making paper from new fibers comes at
the cost of not only having to damage the environment by cutting down trees, but also emitting
greenhouse gases, harmful wastewater, and solid waste (Kinsella). These destructive steps to
acquire new fiber can be skipped, however, by using recycled paper instead. The costs of
producing just one ton of new paper fibers are 24 tress, 33 million BTUs of energy, 5600 pounds

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of greenhouse gases, 23000 gallons of wastewater and 1900 pounds of solid waste (Kinsella).
The humongous amount of pollutants emitted by this process are astonishing. To produce just
one ton of paper fiber, almost an equal amount of solid waste is also produced. On the other
hand, if paper is produced by means of using recycled paper, then cutting down trees is no longer
a component. On top of not requiring trees to be cut down, the overall emission for each
category is reduced by more than a third of the amount that is emitted from producing new paper
fibers (Kinsella). This large decrease in emissions from the recycled method of paper
production, coupled with the fact no deforestation occurs, highlights the importance of practicing
recycling as more and more paper is needed. As technology continues to advance, the already
lessened emissions from recycling will continue to lessen until the production of paper is
virtually harmless to the environment.
The production of plastics is another prime example of how using recycled materials
instead of new materials is more beneficial for both the economy and the environment.
Manufactured goods made of plastic are found all around. It is no wonder plastic is among the
most commonly recycled materials in the world (Plastic Recycling Codes). Plastics are
divided into seven different categories because of the many different applications in
manufacturing and building plastic is involved in. Type one plastics are used in the construction
of soft drink and water bottles. This type of plastic is most commonly used and in need of
recycling due to approximately 29 billion plastic bottles produced each year in the United States
alone (Intagliata) Type two plastics are predominantly used in the production of water pipes.
Type three plastics make up PVC piping. Type four plastics are often used in plastic food bags
and squeezable bottles. Type five plastics are often sturdier than other plastics, and are used in
the construction food containers, kitchenware, and Legos. Type six plastics are used in the

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production foam products, such as packing peanuts and plates. Finally, type seven products are
used in the construction of electrical casing and wiring (Plastic Recycling Codes). With all of
these types of plastics, it is baffling how the recycling of plastic is not mandatory. Instead of
having to collect new natural resources and go through the vast array of processes to make the
plastic goods, requiring that plastics be recycled will surely make the process of producing
plastics easier and less labor intensive. Compared to the amount of work done in producing
plastics from scratch, the recycling processes involving plastics are much less of a workload.
The most common method of recycling plastic goods is titled monomer recycling. This method
of recycling involves separating collected plastics into categories based on which type and
number it is. Upon separation and categorization, the plastics are broken down by selected
chemicals that act to purify the plastic to a state in which it can safely be used again (All about
Recycling). The simple process of collecting, sorting, breaking down, and reusing clearly
displays why recycling eases stress on both economics and the environment. Spending time and
resources to gather new material for plastics, while huge quantities of plastics sit in landfills and
dumps is a complete waste. Implementing mandatory recycling of plastics would cut out the
hefty cost of natural resource extraction, while also conserving the environment by significantly
lessening the need to extract natural resources. As population increases, the environment will
also be conserved because the constantly increasing consumer demands can be fulfilled with
previously used material, instead of new natural resources.
The statistics behind glass production and recycling are yet another indicator of the
benefits recycling can provide. Glass products are completely recyclable, and by using recycled
glass in production and manufacturing instead of forming new glass, energy consumption is
reduced (All about Recycling). However, even though glass is completely recyclable and

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simply requires an individual to put it in a recycling container, glass is still thrown away more
often than not. According to an online article, In 2009, 12 million tons of glass was generated
by the United States, and 3 million tons were recovered (Waste Not Project). This equates to
9 million tons of a completely recyclable material being put in the garbage instead of being
recycled. If all 12 million tons were collected there is no telling how many resources and how
much money could have been preserved. Much like the recycling process of plastics, glass
recycling involves the simple steps of collection, categorization based on color, being crushed,
and being placed in a furnace to create new products. To put into perspective the amount of
energy saved by using the recycling process instead of the process involving new natural
resources, recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 4
hours or operate a television for 3 hours (Recycling & Source Reduction). This statistic
clearly indicates the superiority of using recycled materials versus making new products from
scratch. The amount of energy that could have been saved by recycling the 9 million tons
instead of throwing it away is astonishing, and supports the movement towards recycling all
materials instead of letting them sit unused in landfills.
The recycling of scrap metal is the best example of how recycling will be a necessity due
to the economic and environmental benefits provided. Of all materials in the world, scrap metal
is the most commonly recycled. While aluminum cans are most likely to be perceived as the
main source of scrap metal that is recycled, it is found that steel actually makes up the majority
of recycled scrap metal. Along with aluminum and steel, scrap metal also includes metals such
as copper, nickel, silver, gold, and iron. Each of these metals belong to one of two types of
metals. Scrap metals can either be classified as a ferrous metal or a non-ferrous metal. Ferrous
metal consists of iron and other alloys, while non-ferrous metals are most often aluminum and do

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not contain any iron (All about Recycling). With the many different types and classifications
of metals, surely recycling would largely lessen costs by cutting out the need to extract the
metals from nature. According to an online article, Steel does not lose any of its inherent
properties when recycled (All about Recycling). Mandatory recycling of steel should be put
in place because of this fact. There is no sense letting any steel go to waste, considering the ease
with which steel can be recycled and used again in products, which would in turn cut down on
the environmental stress caused by extracting the natural resources needed to produce steel.
Much like steel, other scrap metals contain very little impurities. This means the recycling
process for scrap metals includes the simple steps of collection, sorting if necessary, and melting
down to be transformed into a new product (All about Recycling). The few steps and
simplicity of the scrap metal recycling process clearly proves to be more cost efficient and
environmentally friendly, compared to the cost and environmental effect extracting the metals
from nature has. Using recycled scrap metal also cuts down on the amount of energy and oil
needed in production compared to newly extracted metals. On average, recycling one aluminum
can cuts down on the amount of energy needed in production enough to run a television for two
hours with the leftover energy. Believe it or not, recycling 125 aluminum cans takes enough
energy off production that a house can powered by the excess energy for an entire day! Also,
using one ton of recycled scrap metal can save as many as 37 barrels of oil, due to the lack of
needing to extract the ores used in producing the metals (Recycling & Source Reduction).
Not only are non-renewable resources preserved through the use of recycled scrap metal, but the
time, energy, and money needed to extract these resources is cut out. Just like the previously
mentioned recycling processes of other materials, the statistics regarding cost efficiency and
environmental impact prove that, once again, recycling wins out over production from scratch.

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As the population continues to increase and more scrap metal is needed, recycling will be a
necessity to help meet the ever increasing demands, as production from scratch will eventually
prove too ineffective.
The practice of recycling provides many benefits to the environment because it causes a
reduction of the need to extract natural resources, and cuts down on the amount of waste
produced. Without the use of recycling, natural resources would be exhausted at a much more
alarming rate, and pollutants would be at an all time high due to the persistent extraction of these
resources. The overabundance of trash would quickly fill landfills and lead to the creation of
even more landfills, which do great harm the environment. The author of an online recycling
article explains,
One of the worst things about landfills is that they're wasting a huge amount of
potentially useful material. It takes a lot of energy and a lot of resources to make
things and when we throw those things in a landfill, at the end of their lives, we're
also saying goodbye to all the energy and resources they contain. Some authorities
like to burn their trash in giant incinerators instead of burying it in landfills. That
certainly has advantages: it reduces the amount of waste that has to be buried and
it can generate useful energy. But it can also produce toxic air pollution and
burning almost anything (except plants that have grown very recently) adds to the
problem of global warming and climate change. (Woodford)
Woodford, a British science writer from Cambridge, keys in on the wastefulness of landfills and
methods used to clear out landfills, which ends up resulting in toxic pollution. All of these issues
of wastefulness and pollution could be avoided if recycling was practiced, but instead materials
are throw away to rot. There is simply no need for this waste and pollution. If trash pickup is

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provided, recyclable pickup should be offered everywhere as well. Citizens could set out
different colored bags, one for trash and one for recyclables. A trash truck could then simply
pick up both, take them back to the dump, and send the recyclables off to be recycled instead of
allowing them to go to waste in the landfill. Not only would the materials be used again instead
of wasted, but the large of amount of expenses, energy, and oil needed to extract those materials
from the environment would be saved. Pollutants would also decrease as the extraction of
resources and number of landfills is reduced. As more and more people inhabit the Earth, both
waste and the strain on natural resources will become much greater, which is why recycling will
become a necessity.
The practice of recycling not only preserves the environment and natural resources, it
also greatly benefits the economy as well. Within industries and production, using recycled
material instead of new material costs less money and resources, as the recycled materials cut out
the need for companies to extract new resources. According to an article online, Using fresh
aluminum costs twice as much as using recycled aluminum (Recycling Benefits). The
reduced cost of using recycled aluminum stems from the decreased amount of resources needed
in the overall production of the material, which highlights why recycling is so beneficial to the
economy. As mentioned previously, recycling reduces the number of landfills due to the
decrease in trash production. This decrease in landfills benefits both citizens and cities, as the
decrease leads to less money needed to be paid in order to maintain the landfills. Along with the
many economic benefits already provided, recycling also creates jobs within an economy. The
recycling process is incredibly diverse and involves many different steps, most of which require
human involvement to operate. For example, individuals are needed for the collection of
recyclable materials, as well as for the delivery of the materials to a recycling center. Once at the

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center, workers are also needed to operate the machinery involved in recycling the materials, and
the list goes on and on (Recycling Benefits). The advantages of recycling on the economy are
undeniable, and as the population increases, will become even more advantageous. The
recycling industry will continue to grow to meet the waste production of the ever increasing
human population. As the industry grows, not only will economies greatly benefit, but a
potentially huge amount of jobs will be created.
With the long list of helpful environmental and economical benefits recycling provides,
there is no denying that recycling will continue to grow and positively impact the world. As the
population grows, the stress on natural resources and amount of waste produced will grow with
it. However, if recycling becomes a mandatory practice all over the world, these problems
should be virtually nonexistent. Recycling has played, and will continue to play, a largely
important and beneficial role in conserving the Earth.

Works Cited
All about Recycling. All Green More than Recycling. All Green Electronics Recycling,
2016. Web. 12 May 2016. <http://www.allgreenrecycling.com/all-about-recycling/>.
Did You Know? Recycling Facts from Keep America Beautiful. The Waste not Project.
WasteNot Project, 2016. Web. 12 May 2016. <http://www.wastenotproject.org/did-youknow/>.
History of Recycling. All-Recycling-Facts. N.p., 2014. Web. 12 May 2016.
<http://www.all-recycling-facts.com/history-of-recycling.html>.

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Intagliata, Christopher. Does Recycling Plastic Cost More than Making It? Livescience.
Livescience, 3 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 May 2016. <http://www.livescience.com/32231-doesrecycling-plastic-cost-more-than-making-it.html>.
Kinsella, Susan. Paperwork: Comparing Recycled to Virgin Paper. RePaperProject.
Environmental Paper Network, Apr. 2012. Web. 12 May 2016.
<http://conservatree.org/learn/WhitePaper%20Why%20Recycled.pdf>.
Plastic Recycling Codes. All-Recycling-Facts. N.p., 2014. Web. 12 May 2016.
<http://www.all-recycling-facts.com/plastic-recycling-codes.html>.
Recycling Benefits to the Economy. All-Recycling-Facts. N.p., 2014. Web. 12 May
2016. <http://www.all-recycling-facts.com/recycling-benefits.html>.
Recycling & Source Reduction. Bergen County Utilities Authority. BCUA, 2016. Web.
12 May 2016. <http://www.bcua.org/index.asp?SEC=E0951E5F-FAAD-4A06-AB701826046F0FC5&Type=B_BASIC>.
Woodford, Chris. Recycling. Explainthatstuff. Ed. Chris Woodford. Chris Woodford,
2007. Web. 12 May 2016. <http://www.explainthatstuff.com/recycling.html>.

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