Questions
What is the current state of the recycling programs in Canada? Do some provinces recycle more than others? How can the amount of recycling in a nation be increased? What does the future hold in terms of recycling initiatives?
Introduction
A very important issue tied to Canada’s future sustainability is that of recycling. There is currently a shortage of suitable landfill spaces in Canada, and the current landfills produce harmful emissions (Statistics Canada, 2008). Using methods to divert as many of these wastes away from landfills will help to slow their growth and improve Canada’s future outlook. Recycling is one such method.
Recycling Programs in Canada Currently in Canada, the amount of waste generated by households
…show more content…
As a result of this growth, Ontario has struggled to manage the volume of green bin waste to the point where it is sometimes not technically even recycled anymore. According to Welsh, in 2008 York region and Guelph shipped their kitchen waste to an incinerator New York State because their own facilities had to close (2009, para. 12). This is a shocking finding and is clearly a step backwards for recycling initiatives in Canada.
Paper recycling, on the other hand has been around for much longer. Pulp and paper plants in Canada have been using recycled material for more than 60 years (Bourdages, 1993, para. 4). One of the most obvious environmental benefits of using recycled paper materials, is that it will help to reduce the amount of trees being cut down for production of new paper. Overall, it is evident that there is an established recycling effort in Canada, featuring both positive and negative aspects.
Recycling comparisons by province In Canada, a disparity exists among the provinces in terms of recycling efforts and initiatives. A recent study ranked the Canadian provinces in terms of recycling, and based the rankings on both access and utilization of recycling programs. The top three Canadian provinces in 2006 were Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Ontario (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 16-17). One might find it surprising that the smallest province in Canada is actually the national leader in terms of recycling. The worst province in Canada in terms
Recycling has been the environmental crusade to reducing the human footprint, with it’s spotlight shining down on in recent years. It was the noblest of causes, recycling being a great idea for the environment and society; but it is being handled poorly. Its modern descendant has turned into a corporate scheme with recycling becoming a business, instead of being about the environment because marketers are using environmentalism as a excuse for overconsumption, recycling products are only being recycled for profit, and cities & big business use inflated numbers to attain media attention. Let’s now take a look at the bread and butter of
Many people say that recycling is a waste of time or that they just don't have the time.”Yes it’s popular in affluent neighborhoods like Park Slope in Brooklyn and in cities like San Francisco, but residents of Bryon and Houston don't have the same fervor for sorting garbage in their spare time’(“The Reign of Recycling”). The world needs more people to recycle no matter where they live. It seems that even if more people have started recycling things have not changed much.”While it’s true that the recycling message has reached more people than ever, when it come down to the bottom line,both economically and environmentally, not much has changed at all”(“The Reign of Recycling”). People need to work harder to make a change that will account to something. The goals are being set higher and higher but with little success. ”While politicians set higher and higher goals, the national rate of recycling has stagnated in recent years”(“The Reign of Recycling”). This rate has ceased to flow. If something changes how people feel about recycling then the nation may be able to meet its
Recycling is a very essential and crucial process in our world today. The term recycling means that waste can be converted into new products instead of being discarded. As the population continues to grow, humans are using more and more products. In order to reduce the amount of waste on planet Earth, and to preserve its resources, recycling is significant. Not only does recycling allow the environment to thrive, but it also allows living people to thrive as well. There are many materials that can be recycled. Plastics, electronics, aluminum, food and glass are only but a few products that can be recycled. Recycling can benefit our environment in numerous amount of ways. However, without recycling, negative impacts on our environment can occur. Some of these effects include pollution whether it is air, land or sea, depletion of natural resources and even an increase threat to global warming. Therefore, recycling is extremely important to sustain our environment.
Recycling is presently one of the most controversial topics, considering that while most individuals put across their support regarding the act the number of individuals who actually do something in order to recycle is much smaller. Many people are currently unable or unwilling to recycle properly because the process often requires a series of changes in one's life. It is thus essential for the authorities to provide educational programs meant to assist individuals in understanding why recycling is important and in learning how to recycle effectively. People need to accept the fact that the benefits of recycling will reflect on the future and that conditions are currently critical as a result of the fact that the masses are generally unacquainted with the importance of this process.
For centuries, Canada has been extracting and using all of the resources that we could at an increasingly shocking rate. Ever since the beginning, we have been seen as a resource-rich country, and with so much, it makes perfect sense that we are one of the most wasteful countries in the entire world. Our country extracts so much and much of that eventually ends up in landfills, in fact, Canada has one of the highest garbage rates and electricity consumption rates in the entire world.
As of January 1, 2003, the Canadian city of Toronto, Ontario started to ship one hundred percent of its garbage into the landfills of Michigan. In 2003, Toronto exported garbage at a
INTRODUCTION: The act of recycling has been and is very influential around the world for the last decade, where global warming is not easily seen on news headline; strongly encouraged for all people, especially strongly advised to recycle in the United States. Recycling plastic and other reusable materials are a process that takes decades to have at least half of the world's population to get involved; however Nevada started to show advances to recycling, with investments from industries, universities or schools, and individuals. Hotels on the Las Vegas Strip and diverse population of students have promoted recycling exceedingly, which encouraged and still is encouraging out-of-state recycling industries to take a step further in recycling
America currently has a growing population of over 300 million people. Every day the average American produced 4.4 pounds of garbage. As a nation Americans produced over 200 million tons of waste in 2013. Only 34.4 percent of that waste was recovered. Over 65 percent of that garbage is left to rot and pollute the environment. Many other countries face the same epidemic. There are many ways Americans can reduce pollution and keep our planet cleaner, one for those ways for instance is recycling. Recycling defined is to treat or process used or waste materials, to make suitable for reuse. The process starts by knowing what to recycle and how. Understanding the effects and benefits of reprocessing can persuade people to make
In 2012, Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash and recycled and composted almost 87 million tons of this material (“Municipal Solid Waste”). There are many ways to end our environmental crisis, such as reducing our amount of trash, recycling items, and reusing other items.
Increased recycling means less trash entering landfills. The greatest environmental benefit of recycling is the use of energy and natural resources when old materials are used to make new products. Many consider recycling an easy task. Products that become garbage have an effect on global warming, which makes recycling as a viable option. The phrase ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ was coined to promote recycling and a clean environment. Recycling is a simple way in which people can contribute to making a better world. It takes time and effort to collect, separate and send trash away. Recycling effects every aspect of our environment—homes, schools and hospitals.
One of the most prominent issues in the American society is not an economic or social problem, but the lack of recycling in America and the effect it is having on the environment and the people. This lack of recycling can be found in businesses and schools across America who could benefit from some sort of recycling program installed. The benefits of a well placed and organized recycling program can be endless from scholarships to the benefits it can have on the environment by saving trees and reducing the space need to dispose all the trash. South Caldwell High School is one of these schools across the country that is at a loss because of its lack of a recycling program and many other schools and businesses in Caldwell county are not reaping
In 2012, Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash and recycled and composted almost 87 million tons of this material (“Municipal Solid Waste”). There are many ways to end our environmental crisis, such as reducing our amount of trash, recycling items, and reusing other items.
As a result, local communities have come together to initiate recycling efforts; the percolation of their enthusiasm has led to the widespread acceptance and even encouragement of recycling at both the state and federal levels. With recovered materials demanding higher market prices and curbside collection and commercial recovery on the rise, it is not unrealistic for Americans to expect to see nationwide recycling rates of thirty-five to fifty percent by the turn of
A worker at a paper factory in Illinois states, “Then the issue was saving a tree. But trees are replaced. We plant them, we cut them, we plant them again” (Pendleton). The worker also said, “The problem now is the landfill situation, I think this one is going to stick” (Pendleton). By 1991 thirty-nine states and hundreds of local governments have passed laws or solutions requiring the purchase of recycled paper. According to Henry Miller, vice president of a paper mill said, “By volume, thirty-eight percent of solid waste in a landfill is paper and cardboard” (Pendleton). That paper and cardboard, if recycled could have produced that much paper or other products and it would have cleared up thirty-eight percent of many landfills across America. One major way to get people involved with recycling is the environment perspective. Not only would the landfills be cut down the environment gains a lot by having people recycle. So what do the states do to keep the environment clean? They enact laws against litter and waste. One way is the state requiring the deposit on beer and soft-drink bottles and cans (Prichard 8A). In those states, millions of bottles and cans that once were left on beaches, tossed in rivers and parks or thrown along the highways are being taken back to stores instead for a refund. A twenty-year old student from Michigan said, “Throwing away cans is like throwing away money to me” (Prichard 8A). These state laws must be working if people have this
While manufacturing papers we use wood pulp from trees, producing plastic requires the use of