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Is Recycling Efficient?

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Is Recycling Efficient?
Antonio Childress
Baker College
ECN 202 Sections 00630
Mr. R. Jordan
May 19, 2012

Is Recycling Efficient Recycling is the process of converting waste products into reusable materials; it is an ancient practice with many modern applications, recycling differs from reuse, which simply means using a product again. It refers to the recovery and reuse of materials from spent products. In recent years recycling has become a major part of environmental policy, mainly because of the increased costs of solid- and hazardous-waste disposal, the scarcity of natural resources, and the growing concern over polluted land, water, and air. There are two types of recycling operations: internal and external. Internal recycling is the reuse in a manufacturing process of materials that are a waste product of that process. Internal recycling is common in the metals industry. External recycling is the reclaiming of materials from a product that has been worn out or considered obsolete. An example of external recycling is the collection of old newspapers and magazines for the manufacture of newsprint or other paper products. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 30 percent of U.S. solid waste is recycled. About 15 percent is incinerated and about 55 percent goes into landfills. Recycling is appealing because it seems to offer a way to simultaneously reduce the amount of waste disposed in landfills and save natural resources. During the late 1980s, as environmental concerns grew, public opinion focused on recycling as a prime way to protect the environment. Governments, businesses, and the public made strenuous efforts to recycle. By 2000, the recycling rate had nearly doubled the 1990 rate of 16 percent. A big portion of the increase has been in yard trimmings and food scraps collected for composting. In the

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