The Mandatory Need for Recycling

Recycling has been a major goal push for environmentalists, legislators, and mayors who want to make a difference in our society. Recycling is the process of converting waste products and materials into new goods. Although some cities and states have ordinances and laws that require people to recycle, many people throughout the United States still feel that recycling should be a voluntary act. Therefore, recycling should be a mandatory law in every city and state throughout our country since recycling benefits the environment, creates millions of jobs, and produces financial gains for several sectors of the economy.

The population in today’s society is growing tremendously, and cities and countries are trying to determine how to manage the large amounts of waste that are being produced. Atiq Zaman and Steffen Lehmann explained that “we gain one billion people every 12-14 years and the world’s population grows by 200,000 people per day” (74). To handle the waste that people produce on a daily basis, city officials, legislators, and environmentalists have been seeking a solution to this problem. As a result, many cities and states are now mandating that people must recycle certain products that would normally be disposed in the trash.

Recycling is a method that involves reusing waste material. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products” (“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”). To start the recycling process, people first separate goods that can be recycled from other waste products. The materials are either picked up by municipalities in front of houses, or the goods are dropped off at designated recycling centers in a city or state. The goods that are eligible to be recycled include newspapers, aluminum and plastic cans, glass, laundry detergent bottles, and paper towels (United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”). These materials are then turned into products that are made from either fully recycled content or partially recycled materials.

Recycling should be a mandatory law since the recycling of goods and products greatly benefits the environment. First, recycling benefits the environment since it reduces the amount of nondecomposable waste in landfills. The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that “durable goods (tires, appliances, furniture) and nondurable goods (paper, certain disposable products, clothing) account for several million tons of solid waste in our landfills” (“The Consumer's Handbook for Reducing Solid Waste”). These durable and nondurable goods cause problems when they decompose in landfills. Zaman and Lehmann argued that “waste management is an issue across the globe since large amounts of paper waste, over-packing, food waste, and e-waste are all causing environmental problems” (74). Many products contain toxic substances, and when they begin to decompose in landfills, the toxic material can pollute water and soil. Therefore, by recycling raw materials, humans are contributing less trash to landfills while protecting the soil and water supply.

Next, recycling needs to be mandatory since it benefits the sustainability of the environment by helping to protect our ozone layer. The United States Environmental Protection Agency explained that “recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change” (“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”). When organic materials are dumped in landfills, oxygen is removed from the trash as it is compacted down, which results in the release of methane or carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Zaman and Lehmann found that “waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from landfill methane. In addition, emissions from carbon dioxide result from the incineration of waste containing fossil carbon such as plastics and synthetic tiles” (74). As a result, these chemicals are released into the air, and they are extremely dangerous to our ozone.

To remedy this problem and to help protect our ozone layer, people should be required to recycle their organic waste. Many people do not realize that composting of organic material is a form recycling. Composting involves breaking down organic material, such as manure, food waste, and leaves, and turning the material into fertilizers for the soil. Composting is an extremely cost-effective way to recycle organic waste that would normally go to a landfill (Breidenbach). Nonetheless, if composting of organic waste was mandatory in society, it would help to protect the ozone layer and benefit the environment.

Finally, recycling should be mandatory since it benefits the environment by reducing pollution. The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that recycling “prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials” (“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”). When products are not recycled, workers must continually collect raw materials in our environment. For instance, if paper products were not recycled, millions of trees would be needed to be cut in addition to the quantity that is logged today to meet the demand for the product. Since collecting and transporting these materials involves the use of fuel, the gas is released into our atmosphere and pollutes our air quality. Furthermore, if products are recycled, there is no need to burn them in incinerators that produce ash residue and pollute the atmosphere. Therefore, if recycling was mandatory throughout the United States, the amount of pollutants being released into our environment would be greatly reduced.

Additionally, recycling must be a mandatory law in every city and state throughout our country since recycling creates millions of jobs throughout the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency argued that recycling “helps to create new well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States” (“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”). When a city, state, or business decides to start recycling, officials must devise a plan on how they will eliminate their waste. The United States Environmental Protection Agency explained that state, government, and business officials must “create the most appropriate source reduction measures” for their area or business (“The Consumer's Handbook for Reducing Solid Waste”). Once these reduction measures are established, workers must be hired to implement the plans.

When a town or state begins to recycle, workers are needed to collect and remove the recycled material. To carry out these tasks, employees are needed to operate recycling trucks and to collect goods from curbside recycling containers. Further, workers are also needed at recycling manufacturing plants to sort the goods that are eligible to be recycled. Finally, when a city or state mandates that residents must recycle, workers are then needed at manufacturing plants that turn goods into recycled products. John Dernbach stated that Pennsylvania employs 52,000 people in recycling plants throughout the state, and these workers are in charge of operating recycling trucks, sorting the waste into specific categories or materials, and creating new products out of recycled material. This proves that recycling does create jobs, and more jobs would be available if every state in the union made recycling mandatory.

Next, when manufacturers are required to recycle goods and products, the process will also create more jobs in our country. Businesses that recycle will need workers to help manufacture used materials into new goods and products. Dernbach explained that manufacturers not only recycle the typical bottles, cans, and paper products, but most companies are now recycling their own goods and products. For example, a business that sells televisions may begin to recycle older models of their televisions and to use the parts to create new televisions for the company. As a result, workers and employees will be needed to collect the used goods and to manufacture them into new products for the company.

Lastly, recycling should be a mandatory law in every city and state throughout our country since recycling produces financial gains for several sectors of the economy. First, recycling produces revenue for universities throughout the United States, while saving the colleges millions of dollars each year in expenses. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a recently enacted recycling program at Penn State’s football stadium resulted in the recycling of 122 tons of waste, the sale of which amounted to $54,000 after an initial cost of $9000 for the program (“Recycling at Penn State's Beaver Stadium”). To further save costs, Penn State operates its own recycling processing facility on campus which allows the college to separate its waste before sending the materials to processors in Pennsylvania. As a result, the money that is saved through the recycling program can be used to cover a variety of expenses for the university and their football team.

In addition, recycling should be a mandatory law in every city and state throughout our country since the money that is created from recycling goods and other waste can be used to help local charities in a city or state. For instance, every year, students at Penn State hold a yard sale and sell used furniture, clothing, and school supplies. The revenue from the yard sale is then donated to the United Way. The United States Environmental Protection Agency explained “In its first six years, Trash to Treasure diverted nearly 422 tons of reusable materials from the landfill and raised $258,000, which was donated to the United Way (“Recycling at Penn State's Beaver Stadium”). Therefore, if other universities and businesses followed in the footsteps of Penn State students and donated money from recycled products to nonprofit organizations, there would be less waste in landfills and government and state officials could cutback spending on nonprofit organizations.

Finally, making recycling mandatory can produce financial gains for states throughout our country and our government. Dernbach explained that Pennsylvania began mandating recycling in communities in 1990, and since this time, the state recycles two million tons of material each year that would have normally sat in landfills. Not only is recycling saving the environment, but Pennsylvania’s program is also helping the state and the government. Dernbach found that recycling is “producing over $18 million in sales annually and paying the government $30.5 million in taxes since Pennsylvania generates an estimated $2.2 billion in annual payroll dollars” (292). The success of Pennsylvania’s recycling program proves that mandatory recycling not only benefits states throughout the country, but it can also help reduce government spending though the taxes that result from sales of recycled products and through employment of workers who operate the recycling facilities.

To conclude, recycling should be a mandatory law in every city and state throughout our country since recycling benefits the environment, creates millions of jobs, and produces financial gains for several sectors of the economy. Recycling benefits the environment by reducing the amount of nondecomposable waste in landfills, by helping to protect our ozone layer, and by reducing pollution. Furthermore, recycling creates millions of jobs throughout our country, and it produces financial gains for universities, nonprofit organizations, states, and our government. In all, since history has proven that voluntary action to recycle is not effective since many people still do not recycle, mandating a law that requires people to recycle all of their waste appropriately could mean the difference between a healthy future environment and an inevitable environmental disaster.

Works Cited

Breidenbach, Andrew. “Composting of Municipal Solid Wastes in the United States.” Washington: GPO, 1971. ERIC. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

Dernbach, John. “Next Generation Recycling and Waste Reduction: Building on the Success of Pennsylvania’s 1988 Legislation.” Weidner Law Journal 21.2 (2012): 285-347. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

“Recycling at Penn State's Beaver Stadium.” United States Environmental Protection Agency.Washington: GPO, n.d. ERIC.

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. Washington: GPO,

“The Consumer's Handbook for Reducing Solid Waste.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. Washington: GPO, 1992. ERIC.

Zaman, Atiq Uz, and Steffen Lehman. “Challenges and Opportunities in Transforming a City into a Zero Waste City.” Challenges, vol. 2, 2011, pp. 73-93.