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
Paper recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions that can contribute to climate change by avoiding methane emissions and reducing energy required for a number of paper products.
The environmental problems resulting from increasing world consumption of paper has stimulated research into t...
Trade liberalisation could lead to a greater exploitation of the environment due to the increase in demand from global market. Developed countries especially in the Europe rely highly on the natural resources to fuel its economic development . As a result of that, natural resources will be largely exploited for greater production of raw materials from countries with lower environmental laws. The exploitation of the environment also leads to another issue. It is reported that generally, the higher the economic development and the rate of urbanization in a country, the greater the production of solid and hazardous waste which are detrimental to the environment and the natural ecosystems . These wastes are often exported from developed countries known as countries of the Global North to developing countries, known as countries of the Global South. As a result of that, the environment and the health of the people in developing countries could be severely affected by the high concentrations of persistent organic
Toilet paper isn’t made in just one place, they are made in factories across the world. Toilet paper is very environmentally friendly after the production of the product, but producing the toilet paper faces two major problems: Deforestation and use of bleach in a hygienic product. The production doesn’t require any burning of resources, and the chemicals use to cure the toilet paper, can be reused almost
Mairena says he hopes the conscious ecological efforts will make customers think twice about their consumption levels. “Being environmentally sensitive and not consumer-oriented is somewhat counterproductive from a business standpoint,” he says with a laugh, “If we’re making you more conscious about waste, you’re not buying as much paper or toner. But in the end we think that’s the right thing to do.”
Care for a snack? Try the chocolate bar that comes in recyclable packaging, or maybe pick up a package of sustainable wood-fiber-filled baby diapers, or a no-animal-testing sunscreen, nontoxic spray cleaner, an entry form for a Prius giveaway or a cloth grocery bag for your shopping (Layton, 2014). Many products have become useful in so many ways that not recycling is harmful as well as unwise and uneconomical. There’s not enough room to throw trash all over the place, pollute, and simply not recycle. In order to understand the importance of recycling, people must first understand what recycling is, what it involves, and how it works. It is also important to know not only the effects of recycling but benefits as well. There are benefits to recycling paper, plastic, glass and aluminum; such as saving energy, saving money, reducing air pollution, and even creating jobs – which not only benefit the environment but the economy as well.
...incing letter to your boss (if you're not the boss) might convince him or her that the amount of money saved in paper will eventually pay for the printer. When you go to the grocery store, bring your own bags instead of using paper or plastic. Consumers often wonder which of the two is better; the answer is: neither. When shopping for smaller items, tell the clerk not to give you a bag (frequently their default action) if you can simply carry the item in your hand. Buy durable, quality items that will last and lend themselves to repair when broken. When things do break, remember that fixing is almost always cheaper than replacing, and you'll have the satisfaction of minimizing your garbage output. When you no longer need something, give it away instead of throwing it away. Organizations like The Salvation Army will gladly accept almost any used household item. Remember that Benjamin Franklin's maxim, "A penny saved is a penny earned," goes for the environment, too. Every time we reuse something, we've saved another like it from having to be made. Every time we recycle something, we've saved energy, pollution, and the materials from being mined from our natural resources.
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...
Everyone has heard a cashier one time or another mumble, “Paper or plastic?” as he put 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. Many people jump to conclusion that paper bags are better for the environment without knowing the facts. Since plastic bags are preferred by customers and plastic bags actually do not hurt the environment as much as paper ones do, consumers should feel at ease when choosing plastic.
In the article the author explained that some offices were going paperless and I can relate to that because in my school all the classrooms were paperless. Teachers would remind students to recycle any paper or bottles they had. In order to help remind the students about how important it is to keep the earth clean there would be flyers and drawing about earth and the environment stapled to the walls in the hallways. In school instead of having to use paper plates for lunch the lunch lady would give students their food on trays. The purpose of giving students their food on trays is so that the school can reuse them and not have to keep throwing away plastic plates. Some students would participate in a program that would teach students on how to keep earth
...on’t be that easy because trees supply paper and we use paper products in so many aspects of our lives. But there are thing we can do to help. we can recycle , and go paperless by using the electronics we use every day and monitor and reforest the forests. We can also spread awareness . Without awareness people will not know of this problem and then they won’t know to fix it.
Environmental health has been a very important issue to talk about internationally these days. We, human beings are leading the earth toward its edge unconsciously. We are using natural resource more than we give to the Mother Nature. Day by Day, people are aware of what damage they do the environment, but they do not care of fixing this damage. In a very simple step, the road of a better healthy environment will begin; recycling is the best idea that illustrate the previous point. To Andrew Roper, recycling is the conversion of waste products into new materials, such as waste paper that can be converts into new paper goods (n.d). There are many types of recycling, for example, there are glass, paper, metal, plastics, textiles and electronics recycling (Evans , 2011). This research will focus on recycling papers in the United Arab Emirates, the benefits or recycling and its effect on the environment, the difficulties of recycling, the process of recycling paper, and the finals products of recycling.
I studied in a green friendly school in Taiwan between 2003 and 2006 so I couldn’t help but be conscious of recycling problems. People who live in the 21st century more or less know the importance of recycling. Even though the awareness of environmental issues has taken its root in people’s minds, I am surprised by the carelessness of household recycle system in London this megacity.
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
The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid wastes each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet. The number landfills in the United States are decreasing, but the amount and volume of waste being thrown into the new landfills is increasing (Russell 4). Because of this escalating amount of garbage, Methane which contributes to global warming is an outcome of these landfills (Russell 7). As a result, our planet is suffering because of this epidemic. The garbage being put in the landfills could be recycled, but not enough businesses, ...