The issue of paper waste is one of the major environmental issues in today’s society. Because paper is so easily found and widely used, many people use it without thinking about where it comes from or where it goes after they have finished using it. People take paper for granted that they have unlimited amounts of papers and it would always be around them. When people use a lot of paper, they do not realize that they are sacrificing the Earth for using papers. Many people do not realize how serious this problem is and some ignore it altogether. Paper waste issue is not just a simple local environmental problem. Instead, it is a worldwide issue because it goes further than just paper waste that it directly connected to all other larger environmental …show more content…
The issue of the paper waste is associated with a “positive feedback loop”, introduced by Stephan Harding’s essay “Gaia Awareness” (Harding, 2009). Positive feedback loop amplify changes where a single change leads to other even greater change in the same direction either in good or bad way (Raven, 2008). The process of paper production runs in a positive feedback loop that it triggers different environmental issues. First of all, naturally, a huge amount of trees are required to be cut for creating paper, which leads to deforestation. As a result of deforestation, there would be fewer trees that “absorb the odor and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark” (Treepeople, 2016). While those natural air freshener decreases, more and more chemicals are produced because “paper and pulp facilities emit nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxides, chlorine, and fly ash” (OECD, 2001). The pulp production requires large amounts of water, which affects water contamination and produces water waste. The polluted air and water are extremely harmful to human health and also threaten the biodiversity. Many trees and plants would become unhealthy enough to absorb chemicals and create fresh air, which means that people have to keep polluted air and water around them …show more content…
New Leaf Paper released a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), which contains a study that actually proves recycled paper is better for forests, species, freshwater systems, and the climate (Martin, 2015). However, paper can be recycled only seven to ten times to the maximum. Recycling is not enough to save the environment while the entire paper waste just ends at the landfill after it is recycled several times (Lauren, 2014). Therefore, people should aware of the negative effects of the consumption of paper. McDonough and Braungart introduce the argument from the book called “Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are” written by Robert Lilienfeld and William Rathje that the ever-increasing consumption of goods and services result all of the major environmental problems (2002). They assert “The best way to reduce any environmental impact is not to recycle more, but to produce and dispose of less” (McDonough & Braungart, 2002). For example, people can use clothes instead of paper towel, use double sided paper, avoid unaddressed mail, or start the Red Dot Campaign. The Red Dot Campaign is a little-known Canada post policy that allows people to stop receiving unaddressed advertising junk mail by putting a red dot “No Junk Mail Please” sticker on their mailbox. Also, by fully using today’s technologies such as applications in electronic devices, people could move a step forward
The words ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’ are what a person chants if someone mentions the word recycling. Nicks J defines recycling as ‘[T]he processing of waste materials in order to make them reusable” (11). Individuals who recycle are not just throwing papers in green bins, or cans in blue; in fact, they are helping the environment more than they can imagine. People who want to preserve and protect their planet take the initiative to recycle waste materials. Rather than throwing away old plastic or glass bottles, aluminum cans, and certain types of paper, one can simply recycle them, and they will go through a cleaning and the remanufacturing process to be remade into a new usable item.
waste paper and recycled. The more paper the world around throws away it cuts down more trees
Also recycling as spoiled societies in well developed regions. I Believe we consume way more then we need because we know it 's will be reused for a good cause but all that waste is generating more working for recyclers which in way is counterbalancing the environmental benefit. In Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter he spoke on a study that was done at the university where they observed the paper towel usage in a men 's restroom over a period of time. First with just a trash can and then the second time the recycling bin included the study found that that people used about half a hand towel more where there was a recycling bin (pg 266). “The increasing consumption found is partially due to the fact that consumers are well aware that recycling is beneficial for the environment: however the costs of recycling are less salient”(Minter 267). I believe the reason why recycling isn 't technically working is because we consumer see recycling as a first option when it 's actually should be sacred process that should be used in rarity. We as consumers need to think conserve instead of
Do you hate seeing litter on the streets, or seeing and smelling heaps of garbage sitting, and rotting away? Humans recycling more will help to reduce this. We throw many things that can be recycled. Recycling glass, plastics, paper, and metals will reduce solid waste dumped into the ecosystem daily. “96 percent of U.S. plastic, and 50 percent of its paper, goes into landfills. Mexico, not exactly a bastion of environmental awareness, recycles more glass than the U.S.” (Alice Horrigan 1). That’s 96 percent of the millions of tons of plastic, which will outlive most of us in a landfill that we could recycle and keep it out of our landfill. Paper is made from trees, if we recycle it, we can decrease our rate of ugly deforestation and the destruction of animal habitats. When paper gets to the landfill, it is guaranteed to get wet. The wetness and decomposition of paper atracts mold spores, which produce an odor and are potentially bad for your health. Also k...
When most people hear the word recycling they think of plastic water bottles, milk jugs, or even old paper that they can reuse, but this is not necessarily the case anymore. Scientists and researchers have discovered a new form of recycling that is going to help better the environment and it can even help make people money! Smokers around the world do not think about recycling their used cigarette butts, but this new form of recycling has changed some of their minds on this subject. Recycling has been a major environmental issue, but most people have forgotten about it or they just do not care for it anymore. Paper recycling dates back to as far as 400 B.C. Some people even say that the early Romans recycled their bronze coins so that they
Paper in 20th-century civilization, is one of our most important industrial products. Books, magazines, and newspapers are printed on paper. Data from computers are usually printed on paper. Education, government and industry could not operate without printing and writing on paper. Paperboard (used in packaging), and absorbent papers (tissue and towelling) are other widely used paper products.
Everyone has heard a cashier one time or another mumble, “Paper or plastic?” as he puts their groceries in a bag, but do shoppers know the effects of each vessel in which they carry their comestibles? There are many issues and benefits to both paper and plastic. The making and recycling of both paper and plastic bags can harm the environment. One must also look at the costs of making each bag. The convenience of each is also something to look at.
Nowadays environmental pollution plays a very important role in the biggest questions in our everyday life. It is easy to find there is so much trash around us even in our beautiful campus. For example, these days I usually see some cans, wine bottles, and some paper trash like packaging bags in my way to class. I wake up every day with a smiling face, but at the time I see them, I can not smile anymore. I think no one can stand the green trees, the red flowers growing in the sea of the trash.
Solid waste pollution will always be an issue as long as human population increases everyday .solid waste is not only cause by household only, the industries as well have hand on environment pollution. And due to improper disposal system solid waste end up on the road. Solid waste have a huge effect on human life and can also cause death in animals as well, as people clean their houses everyday litter their trash everywhere this problem will not stop. But the most dangerous waste are those coming from the industries, because those waste end up in stream, rivers where it poisonous and have bad impact on the marine life. Industrial waste are the source of toxic metal and hazardous waste that effect soil characteristic and productivity of soil when dumped in ground. And the problem lies where some of the waste do not decompose. These solid waste are hazardous, Pesticides poisonous which is not health and life threatening to both humans and animals. People are very much aware of recycling to reduce pollution yet they still fail in doing so. Silt build in freshwater water ecosystems, caused by the unnecessarily agricultural activities smothers aquatic organisms. To reduce solid waste they should be recycled in such a way that do not harm the both the environment, water, air and human health. There are animals such as
One of the most evident problems associated to the environment is the issue of the logging of trees, mainly in undisturbed places such as the Amazon basin. Trees are considered the lungs of the Earth. They recycle all the polluting carbon in the air and return oxygen back into our atmosphere, creating a stable cycle of carbon in our atmosphere. However, the impeccable rates which trees are being cut down in our forests have grown to ever increasing and alarming rates. Trees that are made way for farming are burnt up releasing deadly amounts of carbon and thus leading to the problem of global warming. As its names suggest the world is slowly warming up and without any notice the environment which God has gave us will be slowly eradicated. The daily lives which humans carry on about every day are also a factor influencing on our environment and global warming. By driving cars that have a thirst for petrol we are releasing carbon dioxide and furthermore impacting on the world?s climate. In Australia environmental impact has always been evident. Land clearing especially in places such as Queensland has caused land to lay dry and lifeless where all forms of life is destroyed. By clearing land we are not only affecting our climate but are also destroying animal habitat and the usage of the land. Senseless actions by commuters in Australia, emitting tons and tons of lethal gases vulnerable to the atmosphere are starting to take its toll on our climate. We are seeing a harsher climate and at the same time less rain. If we want to preserve our world we must take a stance on this issue and take action for what is right, not carrying on the actions that will lead to a desolate, destroyed Earth.
For the previous 200 years, the industrial revolution’s discovery of fossil fuels reigned supreme. (Benefits of Recycling, History of Alternative Energy) Newly developed factories continued their steady streams of production and our society started becoming larger consumers. To meet the increasing demand, more product had to be made, and this resulted in more waste being emitted into the atmosphere. These gases built up until they caused the ozone layer to thicken to the point where it started trapping the h...
As humanity develops new technology, the magnitude and severity of waste increases. When computers were developed, it widely was believed that the need for paper would be eliminated. On the contrary this was widely proven false and we are now utilizing more paper than ever. Canada is not an exception as the typical Canadian generates an average of three pounds of solid waste each day1. This alone shows what a careless species we have become- using and disposing materials without even considering the damage we are causing. With half a trillion tones of waste around the world, only 25% may be reused for a second or third time and less than 5% can be renewed limitlessly1. These facts are true only in developed countries. Since these traditional waste reduction methods have been proven inefficient, we must endorse new innovative technology to arrive at a solution.
People should know the negative impact throwing away a water bottle or newspaper, purchasing meat from the grocery store or consuming gasoline has on the environment, and many do not. By informing society about how their decisions affect the environment, we can help save our planet and change our attitude toward the land we live on, the water we drink and the air we breathe” and truly show respect for the stuff that we depend on. The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid waste each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and the environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet.
Due to the fact that there is a huge problem with garbage disposal, government representatives must contribute to resolving this issue. Efficient waste management approaches help with reducing and avoiding unpleasant impacts on the environment and human health, while allowing for financial development and progress in the quality of people’s lives. People do not even imagine the size and capacity of their activities and the impact they produce on the environment. Garbage is an important ecological problem. It seems amazing that approximately all of the citizens of the world identify rubbish as a major environmental problem and yet these people still litter.
Thus, the litter is only beneficial to us in a moment but the consequences are incalculable. Furthermore, humans should plant, grow and keep trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, prevent soil erosion and provide habitat for all living organisms. Planting more trees to enjoy the fresh air created by plants and contribute to saving the earth. In addition, everyone ought to minimize the use of plastic bags which is very difficult to recycle and can survive in hundreds years. If a lot of used plastic bags are not handled property, they will cause tremendous consequences later. To reduce them, people should refuse to use plastic bags offered by supermarkets, instead, use long-lasting shopping bags and use paper bags or biodegradable bags. People also should use natural materials. Plant protection drugs and hazardous chemicals used in hygiene everyday are one of the causes of diseases such as Parkinson, cancer and diseases related to the brain. So why not use materials derived from natural and efficient utilization of the relationship between the struggle for survival in the wild species to control the pest. Besides, all persons should begin to utilize solar energy for use. Solar energy is clean, natural and unbridled source of energy for