Recycling Programs 1

Recycling Programs

Grant Thomas

University of Texas at El Paso

Recycling Programs 2

Abstract

Recycling as the United States knows it is about to change completely. The need for a

new country to receive our plastics is forcing the United States to reconsider their recycling

programs, there is even talk of doing away with them altogether. Various views exist regarding

recycling programs. There are many problems with the way the public currently recycles. Mainly

that people are not recycling correctly. Another view is that recycling is not the cure all solution

that many people believe it to be. Some people even believe that recycling programs do more

harm than good.

Introduction

China is the number one receiver of recyclable plastics in the world. However, this past

January, China banned the receiving of foreign plastics. The United sent China 40 percent of its

plastics during the year 2016(Arkin, C. 2018). All of that plastic now needs a new home, but that

search is going to take time. Sadly, the love affair the United States has with single use plastics is

not going anywhere, and neither is the mountain of recyclable plastics that is growing every

minute. There are several things experts say the average person can do to save the planet.

Perhaps the most obvious is that people need to learn how to recycle, by that I mean knowing

what can and cannot be recycled. The planet would also benefit if people would seriously cut

down on their use of plastic. It is thought that recycling programs and the centers that are

necessary to maintain them are harming the planet more than they are helping it. I found this

topic to be especially important because the city that I live in is considering doing away with

curbside recycling. In the following pages the various views on recycling programs and the

problems and possible solutions that surround them will be discussed.

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China’s Ban on Plastic Waste Imports is a Wake-Up Call For The United States

On January, 1 of 2018 China announced to the world that it would no longer be accepting

imports of plastic waste from outside countries. In 2016 alone China took more than 15 million

tons of plastics from other countries. The United States is now forced to make some major

changes in regard to how it recycles. For several years states have shipped their plastic waste

abroad because it was a more economical option. In fact, there is also the matter of safety. Many

of the plastics sent overseas are low quality and have even been known to contain toxic

chemicals. As the search for a new nation to act as a recycling hub begins there are factors that

the public should consider. Many of these would-be recycling superpowers would be unable to

handle the vast quantity of plastic that would be shipped on a daily basis. This would lead to the

plastics being dumped into water ways which eventually lead to even more pollution in the

ocean. Even worse these plastics would likely be incinerated which leads to enormous amounts

of pollution in the atmosphere. The author of this article closes with the line “while recycling is a

necessary transition to a zero-waste future, we cannot rely on it to bail us out” (Arkin, C. 2018).
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The Recycling Frontline of Norfolk

The author opens this article by stating that recycling seems like the one tangible thing

people can do to help preserve the planet, but they never stop to think what happens to that

plastic once it is picked up from their recycling bin. This one particular recycling center which

serves only a portion of the United Kingdom receives 350 tons of recycling every single day.

The contracts manager of the facility states that the biggest issue they face is people recycling the

wrong type of materials. “For some people, they are not deliberately putting the wrong things in

their recycling bin, it is just a genuine mistake, but there are others who still have no interest in

recycling and believe it isn’t their job to sort their rubbish” (Jenkins, 2018). Jenkins mentions

that they have received items of all types, even live ammunition and a samurai sword. These

items along with being dangerous to the staff at the recycling plants also potentially contaminate

the entire bundle of plastics rendering them useless and unable to be sold. The article closes on a

positive note, stating that the facility runs at a 90 percent efficiency rate. The manager even

makes a helpful list of items than can be recycled and those that cannot (Buller, R. 2018).

The Truth About Recycling

The Girl Gone Green or Manuela is a youtuber whose content focuses on sustainability.

Manuela argues that recycling centers have several issues that just might make them more

harmful than beneficial. Again, a major issues is the public not being well informed and trying to

recycle things that cannot be recycled leading to contamination. Her main point is that the

transportation of these plastics and the maintenance of the facilities responsible for them requires

a tremendous amount of energy. Also the transportation of these plastics whether it be domestic

or international leads to severe pollution by emissions from the vehicles. Manuela does not offer
Recycling Programs 5

a solution but rather asks that the viewer do their own research and try and think of an alternative

that would benefit the earth and its inhabitants. (T. 2017, April 7).

The United States Needs to Phase Out All Single-Use Plastics

The Los Angeles Times states that recycling is not enough, that the United States needs to

change its way of living altogether. The world has no choice but the phase out all single-use

plastics. England and other foreign countries have already formed a plan to eliminate plastic

waste by 2042, the author realizes that the United States is not going to be so quick to change.

We are addicted to convince and that is cannot be argued. Not all hope is lost though, The Times

explains that there are other more sustainable options such as bioplastics which are

biodegradable. The argument that thousands of jobs will be lost if the plastic industry is forced to

shut is countered by the opening of new facilities to produce these more earth friendly options.

This in turn will amount to more jobs. The point is really brought home with the closing

statement. “If we don’t cut back now, there will eventually be more plastic than fish in the

ocean.” (The Times Editorial Board. 2018).

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Conclusion

There is no denying that we as humans use a lot of plastic, and eventually that plastic

must be removed from our homes. Now that China has banned the import of foreign plastics, the

United States needs to make some decisions. Firstly, who are we going to start sending the

millions of pounds of plastic waste we go through on a yearly basis? Some parties believe that

the United States would benefit from education programs that teach what can and cannot be

recycled. Others believe that all of this is a temporary solution, that the real effort should be put

into finding an alternative to plastic. Will the public be willing to remove single-use plastic and

all the convenience that comes along with it to fix a problem that is being stored across an ocean

in a foreign country?
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Sources

Arkin, C. (2018, February 15). China’s Ban on Plastic Waste Imports Is a Wake-Up Call for the

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Buller, R. (2018). The recycling front line: For most of us, filling the recycling bin is an easy

way to do our bit for the environment but are we all helping as much as we think we are? Norfolk

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Leopp, D. (2017). Consumers should make sensible choices. Plastics News, 28(24), 0006.

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The Times Editorial Board. (2018). The United States Needs to Phase Out All Single-Use

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bags and takeout containers aren’t enough. It’s time to phase out all single-use plastic, Los

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T. (2017, April 7). The Truth About Recycling. Retrieved from

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