Recycling and Trash in Rural Areas
Recycling and trash is not a problem that has newly been raised in society. Trash, recycling and its removal has been in history for centuries. As long as humans in society consume, there will be the remainder of something that humans see as trash. Society holds a different perspective on trash and recycling that varies from society, culture, tradition and way of life. A matter of perspective of some incidents review that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and if one wastes not, they want not. Rural trash pickup is limited in the state of Iowa for numerous reasons that will be discussed within this project, as well as how rural individuals deal with no trash pickup. The heated argument of some of the farmer’s burn barrel will also be discussed within this project as a study is presently in the works with Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Throughout the entire project it is seen a worry that Iowa will have an increase of landfills that will be full and closing and alternatives to landfills is one major factor of the project. The project is aimed at finding a solution for the self sufficiency of the researcher upon a farm in a rural community to find a feasible solution to recycling and trash.
Problem Statement
Farms are generally located in the most rural areas of counties. There are numerous problems that are presented upon a farm. Living on a farm in a rural area includes problems that are not similar to the city. One of the largest problems living on a farm in the rural area of Cedar County, Iowa is the lack of trash service and easy access to recycling. As reference to the Cedar County, Iowa (2013) welcoming handbook states that rural life is different than that of the city.
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...tubs become Tupperware and cardboard is saved and savored to start fires to heat their home in winter. The rest that is burnable is burnt in a trash bin. In majority those in rural Cedar County, Iowa do not see the need for the cost of rural trash and recycling service. Numerous residents do not see a problem with traveling up to 80 miles in a round trip to take their recyclables to a bin to be recycled. In that event, the service is not needed and not offered.
By tradition the rural individual is proud, self-sufficient, and hard working. It is an image that is set in culture and traditions of small town USA. Trash is a taboo that no one wants to discuss with outsiders and in their eyes there are larger issues in the works. The Department of Natural Resources has attempted studies upon rural trash and recycling in 2006, but there has not been a remedy as of 2013.
Currently in Canada, the amount of waste generated by households is increasing. As Canadians continue to consume more, the amount of waste created as a result increases as well and between 2000 and 2004, household waste increased by 19% (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 8). While this is appears to be a frightening statistic for landfills across Canada, recycling is actually increasing as well, and at a faster rate. Over the same time period (2000-2004), household recycling increased by 65% in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 9). This is a positive sign as it is clear that Canada’s increase in trash is being offset by a much stronger effort with regards to recycling.
Since the industrial revolution the United States has experienced tremendous change. This change has created a consumer culture that has resulted in the creation of mass amounts of waste. According to reports, in the year 2003 Americans produced almost 500 million pounds waste. Alone the U.S consumes 30% of the world’s resources and produces 30% of all waste (Conquest, 2). These numbers attest to a consumer culture that has created an undesirable waste problem that is yet to be resolved. However, not everyone is affected proportionately by waste, as predominantly low-income communities live in close proximity to waste related sites. In this paper I will discuss how low-income communities are disproportionately subjected to the detrimental health effects caused by waste, and I will argue that low-income communities have historically and are currently responding to counter the effects of waste to protect their communities.
Melanie Scruggs recently wrote an article titled “Cost will be too great if Houston doesn’t recycle” about the dangers that Houston may face if they continue to put recycling as a top priority. I believe that Melanie Scruggs does an amazing job describing the issues that we are facing and poses an effective argument on why we should recycle. Melanie Scruggs graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and she was awarded a Plan 11 Honors degree. (TCE 1) Melanie then joined the TCE in 2012 and she served as a organizer, field manager, program staff member, and a program director. Melanie then moved back to Houston around 2013 where she now serves on the board of the Houston Clean City Commission, the League of Women Voters, as well as the Houston Peace and Justice Center.
Recycling was never really a big impact for people, in fact even when the percentage of people using it increases greatly throughout the years 1990 following up to present time only rose up to the 30s. Out of the 100 percentage of total population, only 30 percent practice some sort of recycling; not even half of the population (Evans). If
To implement a recycling program requires a collection process that includes the containers to gather the materials, the trucks to transport them to the processing site, and the manpower to manage the program. Unfortunately, recycling is more of a business than an attempt to save the environment. The value of the material being recycled overshadows the negative impact of dumping items into the landfill. At a point in time, the demand for recycled paper declined, so recyclers stored the material in hopes that values would increase. “The hope is that eventually the markets turn around and that the materials is sold, but I have heard of instances where it gets landfilled, because a community doesn’t have the demand or the space or the company to deal with it, “ says Gene Jones, the executive director of Southern Waste Information Exchange (Westervelt,
Landfills in America have taken many square miles of what used to be fertile land, forests and communities and that trend does not seem to have an end. The waste, we as Americans, dispose of each year is in the tons and that number rises annually. One of the reasons why this occurs is actually quite simple; population. Population in modern day America has soared to well above three hundred million, in 1915 that number was hundred million. Urbanization and industry has given way to deforestation and landfill creation. The need for more landfills has caused many health concerns, issues, and problems to not only those living near and
She suggests that Americans should reduce their overconsumption of such commodities since they are overburdening the non-biodegradable waste load in the garbage collection facilities. It is surprising to note that every Americans disposes more than four pounds of trash on a daily basis (Royte, 2005).
Not all trash finds its way to a landfill. I have acquired amazing treasures: perfectly good furniture and toys from curbsides and Dumpsters. My Grandfather always said “one man’s trash is another man’s treasu...
As doubts of economic possibilities of farming and ranching continue to decline, the true farmer still respects their land and practices. The general stereotype of farmers and ranchers is poor stewardship. Historically, hunters and farmers were more interested environmentalists than compared with the liberal, urban vegetarians of today. However both share the same conditions for living and breathing. This creates confusion between needing and wanting within a typical household (Kingsolver, 2003).
Recycling. What does this word mean to you? Do you recycle? Do you support or oppose the act of it? What is written in the following paragraphs may or may not help you make this one special planet in our solar system we call Earth; the only planet scientists know supports life. Recycling benefits many aspects of life. Recycling benefits the aesthetics of our daily environment, it makes our family and friends safer from sickness, it boosts our economy, and it allows us to make more use of the limited natural nonrenewable resources we have on our earth. Recycling will benefit life by reducing our environmental impact, preventing injury, boosting the economy, and extending the use we can make can make out of our resources.
“What Would Happen If People Didn’t Recycle?” The Online Gargoyle. Friday 1 July 2011. University of Illinois Board of Trustees. March 21,2014. http://uni.illinois.edu/og/opinions/2011/07/what-would-happen-if-people-didn-
While walking through the park last Sunday, I observed a shocking scene. There are two cans: one for recycling and one for trash. The recycling receptacle had only an empty Dr. Pepper can and a few used Ozarka water bottles. On the other hand, the trash can had a plethora of half eaten meals, wrappers, banana peels and disgustingly even bottles, cans, newspapers and plastics that could have been recycled. Because people do not understand or do not care to understand about conserving our resources, many reusable items are being put in landfills when recycling these items could help save the environment.
Preserving the environment is very important. One way that would be possible is by recycling. Recycling is the recovery and reprocessing of waste materials for use in new products. There are important environmental and economic benefits connected with recycling. Common materials that are recycled consist of aluminum cans, glass, paper, wood, and plastic (“Recycling”). Cleveland, Ohio joined the ranks of requiring recycling and also fines the homeowners for not disposing of waste correctly or leaving cans out too early or too long (McElroy 1). Michele McCay says that recycling is one of the easiest, most tangible ways of taking action for the planet (par. 1). If that is the case, why is it not required in all states? Recycling should be mandatory because it saves natural resources, it conserves energy, and it reduces pollution.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (2008), an American produces 250 million tons of garbage per year (para.2). There are different circumstances that are based on the society, environmental conditions, occupation and size of each of the different families. As Richmond (2010) stated, if no administration organizations has the responsibility or resources to concentrate their efforts on the waste disposal, then the responsibility to do that is on the nongovernmental organizations and ordinary people (para.... ... middle of paper ... ...
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