Lack of Recycling in the Community and the Nation

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Recycling in our community has the potential to greatly aid our state in saving money by gaining money from recyclables. It is estimated that 1.2 billion worth of recyclables were disposed as waste in only four states. It also gives people in the community jobs that employ more people than the bio-tech industry. Recycling can also reduce the amount of pollutants that enter the rivers, streams, and other waters by reducing discharges to the environment and save wildlife.
Recycling has many benefits that include saving money, helping the environment, as well as aiding in people’s health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both indoor and outdoor air pollution pose hazards to human health and are estimated to be responsible for nearly 5% of the global burden of disease. Nearly 2 million children younger than five years of age die every year from acute respiratory infections. Recycling fourteen trees worth of paper reduces air pollutants by 165,142 tons. Efforts can be made to reduce environmental pollutants that may contribute to chronic illnesses through recycling programs that reduce energy consumption. By recycling, waste that releases GHGs through anaerobic decomposition is reduced.
Recycling also reduces the need for raw materials in manufacturing processes, which require larger amounts of energy for harvesting and therefore have better and healthier air quality. Paper recycling reduces air pollution by 74% compared to making paper from raw materials.
The White House Task Force projected that 195 million cubic yards of materials were prevented from entering landfills in 2005 due to recycling, an amount equivalent to the space of 92 large landfills. This just supports that recycling in our nati...

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... that leaks into the environment through air, water, and in land. By recycling we will all benefit, we will prosper, and it shows we care about our environment and our well—being.

Works Cited

"Recycling: A Component of Strong Community Development." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.

"Recycling Statistics and Facts." All-Recycling-Facts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. .

"Recycling Benefits to the Economy." All-Recycling-Facts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. .

"Minnesota Pollution Control Agency."Recycling supports our economy -. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. .

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