Difficulty in Plastic Waste Recycling

The question that lingers in the air like a persistent echo is why people find recycling plastic waste such a formidable task. At its core, recycling is a transformative process that involves gathering and processing materials that would otherwise be discarded as refuse, and repurposing them into new items. The act of recycling plastics holds the potential to yield multifaceted benefits for our societies, economies, and natural surroundings. A humble plastic bottle might find itself reincarnated as a sturdy bucket or even a seat in a bustling stadium, exemplifying the endless possibilities that recycled plastics can offer in enriching our daily lives.  Why is recycling plastic waste so hard for people?

What is recycling?

Recycling is collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into a new product. Recycling plastics can benefit our community, the economy, and the environment. Recycled plastics can become new bottles, buckets, and even a stadium seat. Recycled plastics can be recycled into a useful resource in our lives.

Recycling plastics and other trash is an important step to take to make our planet a better place, but right now it seems like people are having difficulty with recycling. Despite the undeniable benefits of recycling plastics and waste materials, the prevailing statistics paint a disheartening picture. In the United States, a mere 35% of the populace actively participates in recycling efforts, a stark contrast to the grim reality that 75% of discarded waste finds its final resting place in sprawling landfills.  If there are overfilled landfills, it will likely decompose methane gas which has a serious impact on our climate. This concerning disparity underscores the urgent need for a collective awakening to the pressing need for sustainable waste management practices, as we strive to restore balance to our ailing planet and preserve its delicate ecosystems for the generations yet to come.

Solutions 

As solutions, we can add recycling bins to public areas, write a column about recycling in a local newspaper or newsletter (since people don’t read a lot of newspapers now), teach recycling to students and their parents, and form a recycling club. By doing so, it decreases 184 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Spreading awareness to people to recycle is urgent for our earth.

Works Cited

EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics-and-benefits#:~:text=Recycling%20provides%20many%20benefits%20to,and%20minerals%20for%20new%20products. Accessed 1 June 2024.

“The Hidden Damage of Landfills.” Environmental Center, 17 Jan. 2024, www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2021/04/15/hidden-damage-landfills.

“How Many People Recycle in the World? 61 Recycling Statistics.” Cleango, www.bookcleango.com/blog/recycling-statistics. Accessed 1 June 2024.

Submitted by  skarimi@greena…  on  November 15. “Does Recycling Help the Climate?” Green America, greenamerica.org/blog/does-recycling-help-climate-crisis. Accessed 1 June 2024.