Recycling Should Be a Common Practice

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Another plastic soda bottle is dropped in a landfill. The sugary liquid completely consumed, but the bottle just tossed away to decompose. The consumer does not realize that it will most likely take around 450 years for that bottle to completely biodegrade (O’Conner). This one bottle alone will also contribute to the landfill’s emission of methane, a potent greenhouse gas (Treacy). All of this could have easily been avoided using one method—recycling.
Recycling should be common practice in every household, but the simple truth is that people do not want to recycle. The popular excuses include there is no need or not enough time. It is important for the government to take action using education in schools, money incentives, and steps toward convenience that will motivate the average American to recycle.
The problem is that only thirty percent of recyclable material is actually recycled (11 Facts). It is obvious that the need for recycling is not recognizable by most people. This need is clearly seen when looking at the environmental problems currently facing society today. Global warming is the biggest issue that can be partially alleviated by recycling. Global warming is caused by the increase in atmospheric gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide; these “greenhouse gases” trap heat on Earth and increase the temperature globally (Global). Plastic created without the use of recycled material uses fossil fuels, which significantly increase the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide (Global). Plastic that is not recycled and left to biodegrade in a landfill contributes to the already over concentrated amount of methane in the atmosphere (Treacy). Therefore, it is easily seen that recycling holds a worthw...

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... of Recycling." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
"CPalms Core Standards." CPalms. State of Florida, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
"Economic Benefits of Recycling." South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. SDHEC, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
"Global Warming." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 14 June 2007. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Guyette, Lauren. Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2013.
O'Conner, Kari. "The Impact Of Plastic Water Bottles." Postconsumers. Postconsumers, 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
"Pasco County Recycling." Pasco County, FL. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Pitzi, Erica. "Experts Watching Sinkhole in Hillsborough Landfill." WTSP. Tampa Bay 10 News, 16 Dec. 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Treacy, Megan. "Biodegradable Plastics Are Adding to Landfill Methane Emissions."EcoGeek. N.p., 11 Oct. 11. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

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