Are we really helping the planet when we recycle?

Question

I am really into recycling, but many people tell me that I am wasting my time. They either tell me that it all goes to the dump with the rest of the trash, or that it just doesn't make a difference, or that the recycling process puts out at least as much pollution as what is being recycled so it's a wash. What do you think?

Should I try to be virtuous and get the eco-friendly Toyota Prius, or should I just go for the hot Porche Cayenne I'm lusting after?

Answer 1

Actually, it does not go to the dump. My Dad owns his own Recyling Company called Two Hawks Recycling and I have been to help him many times, and helped him with the loads.

All the different materials are put into seperate piles and used to make other objects. E.G Cans, paper, pens etc.... Whereas if we just threw it all into a hole like we normally do, then it kills the soil and earth, making is hardy for healthy plant life to grow, consumers therefore have no produce to eat, the habitat local food chain becomes unbalanced and effects other aspects other than this.

Its a really good thing to do. Don't listen to the pessimists. Its very admirable of you, and more people need to get their fingers out of their fat @rses and do something about the earth that they call their home before we move to other planets and destroy those ones too.

My Responsibility Of The Earth Starts And Ends With Myself.

I live by that, and so should everybody else.

Answer 2

Yes, we're helping the planet when we recycle.

In fact, in New York City, my former High School for Environmental Studies won the New York City Sanitation Department Award for most recycling.

We have Recycling Club called "Urban Recyclers".

For info,

visit www.friendsofhses.org/gogreen.html/

or http://urbanrecylcers.weebly.com/ (No Ws)

Even eco-friendly cars are help, but if you buy hybrid only problem is battery is not recycle.

In High School for Environmental Studies, we recycle Printer Cartridge, Batteries and we're partners with Wearable Clothes Recycling.

http://wearablecollections.com/

People really need to think about recycling because if there was no recycling, for example: you should get DVD or Video title

    * The Magic School Bus Holiday Special (December 25, 1996)

          o It is the day before the winter holidays, and the class is taking stuff to the recycling center (which is run by Murph, one of Ms. Frizzle's relatives.) Wanda is going to see The Nutcracker and is bringing a toy soldier instead of taking money, as they are taking toys to give to homeless children. As usual, something goes wrong. Arnold mistakes the soldier for something being taken to the recycling plant and Wanda's soldier is turned into plastic pellets. Wanda declares she wishes recycling had never been invented. Naturally, this gives the Friz an idea. She turn the bus into an anti-recycling machine, which changes the city to the way it would be without recycling. It cuts down the forest, and turns recycling trucks into garbage trucks. The kids are confused when it turns the swing set in the park into aluminum cans and such. Wanda is still pleased, since if recycling hadn't been invented, then her soldier would be still waiting for them in school. However the bus turns the school into a garbage dump when they get there. Finally, the bus un-recycles itself. Wanda then apologized that she ever wanted to get rid of recycling, and wants it back. The Friz changes the bus so it changes everything back. This episode is more Hanukkah-oriented than it is Christmas.

When New York City Sanitation Dept suspended recycling, land fill in Staten Island became overfull, and they wanted to put in other place.

People who think that wasting time does not care about environment.

Every summer, either Freshman or Sophomores goes to beach clean up.

If we don't recycle, more garbage and it might lead to extinct of animals like fish, etc.

Answer 3

I like to think we are helping and that I am as well. If I had the money I would get the Toyota, they are great cars regardless of whether a certain model is eco-friendly.

Answer 4

Ultimately the idea should be use as little as possible, and recycle what you have to use.

Answer 5

Recycling does NOT go to the landfill. Some places like Philadelphia, PA have even made it LAW to recycle. Trash you toss out that includes recycling will get you a fine.

If you have a local recycling center, go for a visit and get educated on their processes. We have curbside pick up for a few recyclables but most of ours goes to a recycling center that takes just about everything. He even takes used veggie oil to power his car.

Sounds like your friends are making excuses for their own behavior and like to think that when they toss something out, it simply 'disappears'. Well, I live near a few major landfills and it doesn't disappear at all. Some items too can lead to heavy metal  contamination of table water and soil in the area. Like CFL lightbulbs? They contain mercury. Batteries can leak all sorts of chemicals once in a landfill.

Keep on keepin' on, you're doing fine. Reduce your need to recycle by buying things that last or have minimum of packaging, recycle everything you can and go to http://www.freecycle.org for things that are too good to toss out but you simply don't want. Reuse things too when you can.

Actually our ancestors used to do these things out of frugality more so than the environment. That's how things like quilts and scrapple (a Pennsylvania 'meat' product that used to use up all scraps of meat) got invented... the need to make something usable out of little things that alone, aren't good enough but together are perfect.

As for the cars, really do your homework on MPG and drive the car gently. No foot stomping on either the accelerator or the brake... the Prius is designed for you to be aware of how much gas you're using and can challenge you to get better but really there are some great gas-easy cars. I just picked up a Toyota Corolla that gets 40hwy mpg and it's manual, so I can coast a lot and I can ease up on how much gas I use that way too.

The only thing that's questionable to recycle these days are computers. Very well meaning people are paying special computer recycling companies to recycle these things and very often, they're ending up in China and creating a big mess over their for the health of the people working with the chemicals used to strip the computers and their part of the planet over there too. However, there's enough heavy metal components in PCs and all their 'friends' that tossing it out in the trash is a no-no too. Hopefully China will clean up their act soon and protect the health of their people and the planet.

Answer 6

I believe Yes, and also create new jobs.

Answer 7

i worked at a grocery store and all the stuff from the recycle bin at the front of the store went out with the regular trash

Answer 8

It may take considerable resources to recycle something (extra trash trucks etc.)  but Look at what it takes to get that same aluminum (or whatever) out of the ground.  lots of big trucks, lots of land wasted, lots of energy burned in mining and smelting operations.  lots of pollutant's from these operations entering the air and water.  you could extend this list ad infinitum if you take into account mining coal to power the electric plant that runs the aluminum mine.  Can it really hurt to recycle?

Answer 9

i think it should be made into law that everyone recycles, especially the united states.  americans are the most wasteful people.  we need to get our act together.

Answer 10

hahhahahah. those people are telling big porkies

Answer 11

I also heard recycling isn't useful because it either uses too much of our resources (water, energy) to recycle something or because it puts out waste. This is definitely worth some investigation...

The Prius is also a good question. My mother has one and she loves it because she goes for two weeks at a time without having to fuel up. HOWEVER, I heard the batterys used in the vehicle have to be stored in a storage facility after use. They cannot be discarded like regular car batterys.



Its funny how we think we are helping the environment when we learn we're actually creating a new problem! Jeesh.

Answer 12

I think that in some areas, recycling does go out with the regular trash, and it is there to get people in the habit for when they do implement recycling. The 3 Rs are reduce, reuse, and recycle- in that order. Recycling is good, but the economics of it are up for debate- its expensive, things are often moved to other countries, etc. So its good, but before you recycle try to reduce and reuse in the first place.

Answer 13

a lot of services sort the trash and recycling later.  it may look like it is all getting put in the truck and heading to the dump, but really it is getting sorted later.

also, i drive a prius and i LOVE it.  it's a better choice.  buying gas guzzlers is short sited, environmentally destructive, and lets the auto industry know that we don't care about the environment.  if you think about supply and demand, the more people that choose a more environmentally friendly car, the more the auto industry will push the technology and offer solutions to the crisis we are currently in.  personally, i can't wait to check out the volt when it comes out!

Answer 14

In my own personal opinion we have no way of finding out unless we continue to believe in recycling works.

If we give in to criticism we can only go back to where we started.

Again I feel we are in our infancy and certainly in a confused state of right and wrong.What we got to lose by trying to make things better.

Yes the non believers or those who are ignorant are not helping whereby there rubbish goes to the landfill.

I heard last week that penalties will be in forced if Local Authorities continue to use landfills as they are doing so right now.

Take the Toyota and keep the Porche dream alive