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It seems everyone is starting a new recycling program these days.
From an outside perspective, recycling is a good idea. America is the country in the world with the highest consumption and the highest amount of garbage output. The problem comes in the fact that recycling is an ineffectual way to make that system better.
In short, recycling is a joke. Recycling is a waste of energy, a waste of resource, a waste of taxpayer dollars and a waste of time.
Recycling is not cost efficient, nor does it even reduce the amount that is consumed. If global warming is a reality--and frankly the "science" on global warming is inconsistent one way or the other--the plants that are needed to smelt and process recyclables are producing greenhouse gases just as a manufacturing smelter would be. The only exception to this is the recycling of aluminum.
Aluminum is the only item that can be recycled for less than it takes to produce the original material. Every other item is more expensive to recycle than to create from scratch. That is just simple numbers and economics, and the bottom line doesn't support the implementation of the idea.
There are a lot of problems that need to be fixed, including the amount of waste we have, but recycling is not the way to do it.
The famous magician duo Penn and Teller have a television program on the Showtime network titled, "Bulls***." In this program they have tackled controversial issues such as PETA, gun control and--you guessed it--recycling. The whole purpose of this program is to cut through the propaganda and look at the cold, hard facts. Their conclusion on recycling was that it doesn't work because of the materials required and the cost ineffectiveness.
The idea of recycling is a good one. It is an environmentally conscious and responsible society that cares about what it takes and cares about what it puts back. The reality of the program initiatives, however, is that they are inconvenient, irritating and a total waste of time.
Why do we sort or paper, plastic and glass when it all goes into the same giant holding truck? There is a secondary sorting process that happens. After the truck dumps off the load of "recyclables," there are people within the recycling plant who are paid to re-sort the items that consumers are instructed to sort prior to delivery. Why does a recycling initiative raise taxes, or in the case of a university, raise the occasional student fee, if it is such an effective source of cutting back on what is used?
Some would argue that we are running out of usable material with which to make new things, and we are running out of space to put those items we are discarding. This is--like the idea that recycling is a good way to spend money and time--a joke.
Landfills are some of the most carefully managed areas on the planet. Before a landfill sight is even chosen, there are extensive geological surveys to make sure that neither local area nor ground-water reserves will be contaminated. A large protective skirt is then placed under the landfill site so that nothing will soak through into the area. When the site is full, it is paved over, buried and finally covered with grass and plants so that whatever is under the plants will have the added benefits of pressure and natural resource to decompose the remaining materials.
These areas are then monitored to make sure that the integrity of the barrier is not compromised and the process of decomposition is occurring naturally and effectively. Many old landfills actually become parks and public areas.
If a cost-effective way to recycle were found, then the program would make sense. The bottom line of dollar figures is not the best way to determine the usefulness and effectiveness of a program, but in the case of recycling, where it is sold as being this great way to "give back" to mother earth and because the issue is so emotionally charged, the "pocket-book value" is the best way to demonstrate the cold, hard facts.
So before we, as a student body, jump on the recycling bandwagon, we should start with a more realistic goal--getting people to throw away the garbage they make right now. If people can't even throw their own trash into a conventional garbage container, why would they care about recycling it?
It would be nice to see a reduction in the amount of cigarette butts thrown around the parking areas and sidewalks. Put more garbage cans around the campus. Once recycling efficiency has caught up, we can move to doing that.
Recycling is a good idea that has potential, but the system needs to be re-vamped before it will ever be an idea that is worth implementing on a large scale. In such an emotional situation it is important that people separate, think logically and decide if recycling is really worth it and doesn't just "feel good."
