An Expert's Opinion

1. How serious do you think the issue of not having enough recycling bins around campus is?

Cinnamon's Answer: This issue is very serious. Overall, the waste problem in our society is terrible and with that there is a deeply important need to recycle. Because of this it up to state and local governments to implement plans to get people to recycle both enough, and well. Additionally, it is very important to have accessible and user-friendly recycling bins everywhere.

2. How widespread do you believe that this issue is?

Cinnamon's Answer: Globally, this is a huge issue. However, it is notable that different countries deal with this issue in different ways. For a positive example, Switzerland has policies mandating recycling and makes recycling very accessible as a whole, while a negative example would be how the United States has sent a lot of waste to other countries in the past. 

3. What do you think is the cause of this issue (not having easily accessible recycling bins)?

Cinnamon's Answer: Incentives are a big thing in this issue. In the background, we need to recycle well, and there needs to be economic efficiency to doing so so that big businesses invest in recycling programs and facilities. At the more local level, we just need politicians and those in power to care about the issue of recycling, and care enough that policies are put into place to establish good recycling programs.

4. In general, is there a public policy in the United States that deals with the lack of accessibility for recycling?

Cinnamon's Answer: No, there's not really a large policy regarding this. At the federal level, there is the Environmental Protection Agency, but that doesn't directly regulate this type of recycling. There is also a statute called The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) which is used to regulate hazardous and some solid waste, but it doesn't deal with the local and state-based recycling that the states are responsible for. This is why there's so much variation between recycling policies within states. However, there are a few ways that the federal government does try to incentivize recycling.

5. Why do you think that there's no federal policy requiring more accessibility for recycling right now?

Cinnamon's Answer: Mainly, this is a question of state-federal relationships, as traditionally, recycling and sustainability has always been an issue that states have regulated. But, this does not mean that the federal government could not adopt a new law for this, there just hasn't been any motivation to do so.

6.  What policy do you think should be implemented to solve this issue?

Cinnamon's Answer: It would be great to have federal mandates for recycling, but even if not that, then the federal government could financially incentivize recycling to states. At the state and local level, there should be landfill bans being adopted to regulate different types of waste, such as plastic, metal, and paper. Additionally, incentive schemes to motivate people to recycle would be very affective, as well as educational campaigns to teach people why they should recycle.

7. Do you think that this issue should be handled by the government? And if so, what agency?

Cinnamon's Answer: The federal government should absolutely be involved because policies, incentives, and resources behind recycling programs would be very useful. 

8. Is the government doing anything about this recycling issue, and if so what are they doing to handle it?

Cinnamon's Answer: Yes, but to an extent. There's a very large variety of governmental response across the United States and it really depends where you are. However, this is a bit problematic because depending on where you are, your access to recycling varies. For example in the city of Columbus, OH, recycling is picked up every two weeks and trash is picked up every week (though really this policy should be reversed), while in say, Texas (especially in more rural areas), you have to drive into the city to recycle. There's an okay recycling system in the US, but it absolutely needs to improve more.

9. In your opinion, what disagreements exist, if any, in the US about the necessity of easy recycling? Are there people against recycling, and if so, why are they against recycling?

Cinnamon's Answer: Really there are two main disagreements. The first is that some people think that recycling is economically inefficient, even though with cost analysis, we now know how to do recycling in more economically efficient ways. The second is that some people see recycling as an invasion of their daily lives and their ability to choose. Oftentimes, people just dislike mandates, and this is why majority of recycling is by choice. The disagreement is less about recycling in itself, but more about the perceived inability to choose.

10. Who are the major individuals in the US who are taking sides in the argument, and which sides are they taking?

Cinnamon's Answer: From the governmental perspective, there's the EPA and various environmental agencies in support of easier access to recycling and recycling in general. Most of the people opposed to recycling policies are within the fossil fuel industry because most plastics are made with fossil fuels. With recycling, theres a minimization to production and profit for this industry.

11. If our group were to develop a policy to deal with the issue of not having enough recycling bins around campus, how can we get the school administration to adopt it?

Cinnamon's Answer: You could create a policy that's focused on all the benefits that recycling could bring. Getting more recycling bins on campus encourages people recycle more. Getting people to recycle encourages responsibility. Financial gain could be a good motivator to get more recycling on campus. Education focused on the waste in landfills and incinerators having negative impacts on the community could also teach people to recycle more. Overall, recycling policies could make the school look like it's leading the way to more environmental awareness and shows that students focus on their personal responsibility.