By Jason Kwan

Staff Writer

With temperatures and sea levels rising, there is no doubt that global warming has reached alarming proportions, prompting various cities and states across the United States to enact their own mandatory recycling laws. While some view mandatory recycling as an intrusion on the personal liberty of a citizen, it is important to remember that these laws should be adopted because they are meant to benefit communities and protect the environment.

One of the most valuable benefits of recycling is saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases. According to the Economist.com, recycling plastic can reduce energy consumption by as much as 70 percent. Since recycled materials have already been refined and processed once, manufacturing the second time uses up to 30 percent less energy.    

Conserving natural resources is one of the best ways to preserve the environment. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recycling one ton of paper saves about 17 trees as well as 17 thousand gallons of water. Recycling plays a big factor in ensuring that these natural resources will not be soon depleted.

When waste continues to accumulate in landfills, products that are slow to decompose or are not biodegradable remain for years, often emitting gases that harm the environment. National Geographic found that of the 8 billion metric tons of plastic produced in a year, only 9 percent is recycled. The rest continues to rot in landfills and pile up in oceans. With increased recycling efforts, the waste destined for landfills can be reduced, thus minimizing problems and helping the environment.

Recycling does more than just keep the environment clean, it also stimulates the economy. A study done by the EPA found that in a single year, recycling and reuse activities in the United States accounted for 800 thousand jobs, 36 billion dollars in wages, and 7 billion in tax revenues. Processing recycled materials requires workers which creates jobs within the community. As a result, this provides revenue for local businesses, benefiting the city and its economy. If all the recyclable materials sitting in landfills across the United States were to be recycled, it would generate over 7 billion dollars.

Although the United States does not currently have a uniform federal recycling law, it is the responsibility of communities and its residents to promote recycling. Cities such as San Francisco have created their own mandatory recycling programs which requires residents to separate recyclable materials from waste. Simple efforts like this ensure that all recyclable materials are sent to recycling centers rather than landfills.

Though it can be a bit of an inconvenience at times, recycling makes communities and the world a more eco-friendly place to live. Educating citizens about the benefits of recycling will serve as a gateway to other forms of environmental activism and help raise overall environmental consciousness.