Recycling in the United States

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A collection center for recyclables in Santa Monica, California, USA
A collection center for recyclables in Santa Monica, California, USA
In New York City, people can be seen earning money by collecting recyclables and receiving the return deposit.
In New York City, people can be seen earning money by collecting recyclables and receiving the return deposit.

This article examines recycling in the United States. Due to there not being a national law for recycling, mandatory recycling is legislated through state and local governments. A number of U.S. states, such as California, Hawaii, Oregon, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, Michigan and New York have passed laws that establish deposits or refund values on beverage containers while other states rely on recycling goals or landfill bans of recyclable materials. Some cities, such as New York City and Seattle, have created laws that enforce fines upon citizens who throw away certain recyclable materials. There are also a wide variety of voluntary programs and educational programs to increase recycling where it is not mandated by law.

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[edit] Government involvement

On a national level, the United States Environmental Protection Agency oversees a variety of waste issues. These include regulation of hazardous wastes, landfill regulations, and setting recycling goals. More specific recycling legislation is localized through city or state governments. Further regulation is reserved for individual states to create. State regulation falls into two major categories: landfill bans and recycling goals. Landfill bans make it illegal to dispose of enumerated items in a landfill. Most often these items include yard waste, oil, and recyclables easily collected in curbside recycling programs. States with landfill bans of recyclables include Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan[1], and North Carolina[2] Other states focus on recycling goals. These include California and Illinois. Some ways that states encourage recycling of specific drink containers is by passing a bottle bill A number of U.S. states, such as California, Hawaii, Oregon, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, Michigan and New York have passed these laws that establish deposits or refund values on beverage containers in order to promote reuse and recycling. Most are five cents per can or bottle. Michigan's deposit is 10 cents.

[edit] Financial implications

When recycling was a newer industry recycling cost as much or more than trash disposal. Some opponents of recycling argued that state support for recycling may be more financially expensive in the short term than alternatives such as landfill; recycling efforts in New York City cost $57 million per year in 2002[3]. To refute this argument people pointed out that the benefits to society from recycling compensate for any difference in cost. Landfilling waste is an inefficient use of resources, contributes to global warming through the release of methane into the atmosphere and by the pollution of groundwater and waterways. The long term financial costs of remediating pollution caused by landfilling waste are often not taken into consideration.

However, in many areas there is now an economic incentive to recycle. As early as 2003 Fort Worth Texas was making $1,000,000 from their recycling program.[4] Similarly, Waukesha County's recycling program in Wisconsin began operating with positive revenues in 2004.[5] Most recently, Waukesha County began receiving a $6.50 per ton bonus for recyclables coming into their private MRF (Materials Recycling Facility). Combining that with average revenue from the sale of the materials as well as the counting the extra cost if the items were landfilled, the average total lost revenue (county's share) for recyclables thrown in the landfill is $112.50.[6]

[edit] Recycling Education

Integrating recycling into K-12 educational system has become a goal for many educators. Usually it is integrated into science or social studies classrooms. This is due to its inclusion in the national education standards for both of these subject areas.[7] Common areas that recycling is integrated into the curriculum include areas such as the study of natural resources, general environmental units, soil units, water units, community units, economic units, and geography units. Although interest is growing, major textbook publishers do not always include recycling in a textbook so teachers are left to supplement the textbooks with outside curriculum to meet the national standards. For example, in a unit about trees or natural resources teachers could include supplemental curriculum about recycling because in the textbook it is never explicitly covered.[8] Non-profit organizations as well as governmental organizations have created supplemental curriculum for teachers to fill this void. Some purely non-profit groups include the Center for a New American Dream, Earth911,[9], and Be SMART.[10] Other creators of curriculum include governmental offices. Some of these include Oregon,[11] California[12], and Waukesha County, Wisconsin[13] Also, some non-profit organizations have partnered with sections of the government to collaborate on educational materials. For example, The Keystone Center partnered with the United States Department of Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory to create curriculum on global warming.[14]

[edit] America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day (ARD) is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and buy recycled products. ARD is celebrated November 15. Hundreds of events are held across the U.S. to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and to encourage Americans to sign personal pledges to recycle and buy recycled products.[15][16]

Run by the recycling sector organization National Recycling Coalition, America Recycles Day is also sponsored by private and public entities, including global aluminum company Novelis, stationery firm Staples, waste firm Waste Management Recycle America, the American Beverage Association and the EPA.

Although America may not enjoy much of a reputation for environmentalism on the global stage, in some US cities recycling levels are much higher than, for example, in the UK.[17]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Report from Minnesota comparing area states landfill laws http://www.wasteresources.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=5954&locid=83
  2. ^ http://wastenot.enr.state.nc.us/swhome/landfillbans.asp
  3. ^ Logomasini, A.(2002) Forced Recycling Is a WasteThe Wall Street Journal, March 19
  4. ^ Recycling Made Easy and Profitable. National Recycling Coalition. http://www.nrc-recycle.org/philinquirerarticleonrecycling.aspx
  5. ^ Waukesha County Materials Recycling Facility Report. http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/uploadedFiles/Media/PDF/Parks_and_Land_Use/Recycling/Reports_and_Charts/MRF%20budget%20book%20charts_landfills.pdf
  6. ^ Newsletter 2008 http://www.ci.waukesha.wi.us/Engineering/Documents/newsletterMay2008recycle.pdf
  7. ^ National Science Education Standards http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/6a.html National Council for the Social Studies standards http://www.ncss.org/standards/
  8. ^ Foss Curriculum Guide. http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/foss/scope/index.html
  9. ^ Earth911.org http://earth911.org/for-students/teachers/
  10. ^ Be SMART (Save Money and Reduce Trash) http://besmart.org/education/index.html
  11. ^ Oregon DEQ http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/education/curriculum.htm
  12. ^ California Dept. of Conservation http://www.conservation.ca.gov/DOR/rre/Pages/Index.aspx
  13. ^ Waukesha County Teacher's Resources Page. http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/page.aspx?SetupMetaId=12100&id=11440
  14. ^ Kestone Center Curriculum http://www.keystonecurriculum.org/
  15. ^ US raises waste awareness with "America Recycles Day", www.letsrecycle.com, Retrieved 15.11.06
  16. ^ George W. Bush Proclamation on America Recycles Day, www.waste-management-world.com, Retrieved 24.11.06
  17. ^ US raises waste awareness with "America Recycles Day", www.letsrecycle.com, Retrieved 15.11.06


[edit] External links

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Topics related to waste management
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Recycling by region
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