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Recycling Is Beneficial

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Submitted By blaine
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In the past fifteen years, about 10,000 U.S. landfills reached maximum capacity. (Hershkowitz) I cannot think of a more striking figure. It is inevitable that in the future, we will be living in our own waste if recycling programs don’t spread and become more practiced. Enough land is already lost due to land-filling, therefore actions need to be taken in order to avoid further compounding the problem.

Efficient municipal recycling programs are beneficial both environmentally and economically because they minimize dangerous landfills, reduce waste by reusing valuable resources, and create cost-effective waste management systems. This paper intends to enlarge on the above issues to demonstrate the validity of this thesis. Some proponents would argue against recycling efforts, but this work intends to elucidate the potential benefits achievable through implementation of a well-planned recycling system.

During the 20th century Organic and natural waste (biowaste) was the most common trash in landfills. Product waste has now claimed the majority of US landfills. Product waste is a toxic and hazardous waste which derives from mass producing companies. Among a variety of types, the most common “Product waste” is plastic packaging wrap. (Sheehan) Landfill pollutants not only escape into groundwater as a result of land fill liner breakage (Sheehan) but they also are released into the atmosphere much more significantly with standard disposal methods than with recycling methods (Martin). It is clear that standard disposal methods are negatively effecting our environment and measures need to promptly be taken to slow this destructive process. Recycling is a well rounded choice because it is earth-friendly, logical, and economically beneficial. Through the production of products from recycled resources, new resources are saved. For example, old newspapers may sell

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