Recycling is more beneficial than other waste management methods, Sahab Noormofidi
We as humans are responsible for our environment and we are also responsible to protect it for ourselves and for the future generation. Now, our responsibility to preserve our natural resources is to find novel solutions to recycle waste materials like Sahab Noormofidi, one of the activists in this domain. Today, we are generating more garbage than ever before. Packaged foods, disposal products like toilet paper, diapers, disposable cutlery, etc. are being used all the more. Recycling has a crucial role in reducing the risk of air and water pollution. It has a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and protecting wildlife and marine species. Besides its environmental benefits, recycling can strengthen our economy by conserving natural resources and creating jobs.
In addition recycling costs are usually higher than the manufacturing costs of producing virgin materials. This can be the reason why in most developing countries the recycling rate is much lower compared to developed nations. On the other hand, many rich countries export their trash out of their sight to poor countries. Instead of developing recycling infrastructures wealthy countries ship their waste to developing countries as it would be typically cheaper. So the world’s most vulnerable communities are suffering more than developed countries from the global recycling crisis while they also disproportionately suffer more from environmental burdens. But the Earth is our home no matter where we come from. We as human beings depend greatly on the environment for our livelihoods and health.
When the countries are unable to recycle the trash because of inadequate infrastructures or high costs, they often send it to illegal factories that burn or bury it in order to dispose of it and that affects the health of those who live nearby. The trash can also end up in the oceans consumed by aquatic species and caused entanglement or starvation. Marine wildlife sometimes mistakes plastic waste for prey and ingests it. Therefore, the lives of endangered marine species are closely linked to our ecological footprint. By modernizing recycling infrastructures, allocating funds, and raising awareness about the importance of recycling we can reduce the detrimental impacts of neglecting the recycling crisis which harms human and other species’ health and lives.
All recent research by Sahab Noormofidi revealed that we are producing some two billion metric tons of solid waste per year. This is while the landfill crisis is another issue that needs to be addressed by the business owners. It causes numerous problems for the environment. For example; Toxic waste that leaches from landfills into the groundwater and soil is harmful to humans, plants, and animals. We are also running out of space in landfills. Organic matters in landfills break down and that will have adverse impacts on climate change as it generates methane. Recycling keeps the waste out of landfills so the greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced while the detrimental impacts of landfills on humans, plants, and animals will be lowered as well. Additionally, by not recycling landfills fill up faster and that means we need to create new landfills.
In places where space is scarce waste incineration is another alternative. Referring to Sahab Noormofidi’s last lecture, high-temperature waste management processes and incineration are called thermal treatment. Although these thermal treatments can be beneficial as they reduce the quantity of waste, recycling should be the first priority. Incineration produces poisonous smoke during the burning process. It causes many health problems such as cancers, birth effects, etc. to those living nearby the incineration plants. The ash released from incineration plants even in small quantities also affects the environment as they contain heavy metals and poisonous materials which do not usually get disposed of properly and need further treatment. Consequently, burning waste without recycling most part of it will cause huge environmental damage and health issues.
Recycling can also create job opportunities and grow economies. Recycling can create jobs through different procedures such as collecting recyclables, sorting and preparing materials for reuse or manufacturing, manufacturing new products and refurbishing recycled materials for reuse. According to a study conducted by the National Recycling Coalition and quoted by Sahab Noormofidi, recycling consists of about 56,000 establishments that employ over 1.1 million people and generates $37 billion in payrolls. Recycling can also reduce the need for countries to import raw materials. Consequently, the countries would rely less on foreign countries for raw materials such as petroleum. On the other hand, producing products from virgin materials requires more energy than producing materials from recycled materials. Additionally, producing products from recycled materials can reduce the rate of mining and refining procedures. Hence, recycling plays a significant role in saving energy.
As previously stated, recycling can alleviate the environmental burdens and reduce the emissions associated with poor waste management. Through effective recycling management, the risk of health problems caused by landfills and incineration processes will be lowered. Recycling not only protects the environment and saves energy but also creates job opportunities and grows the economy.
References:
https://www.usi.edu/recycle/solid-waste-landfill-facts/
https://zerowasteeurope.eu/2022/02/why-is-the-global-waste-crisis-a-social-justice-issue/
https://www.statista.com/topics/7943/global-waste-trade/#dossierKeyfigures
https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/waste-recycling-infrastructure/528/
https://www.rubicon.com/blog/statistics-trash-recycling/
https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/landfills-were-running-out-of-space
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/daniel-rosenberg/burned-why-waste-incineration-harmful#:~:text=Recycling%20saves%20more%20energy%20and,energy%E2%80%9D%20is%20often%20a%20misnomer.
https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/zerowaste/recycling-facts/#:~:text=Recycling%20keeps%20materials%20out%20of,pollutants%20caused%20by%20waste%20combustion.
