A Wasteful Society: Why Recycling Should be Mandatory
A Wasteful Society: Why Recycling Should Be Mandatory Recycling is defined as “the process of making or manufacturing new products from a product that has originally served its purpose”. This simply means reusing old things and making them in to new ones. It is a process that has been done for centuries, longer than most would believe. Recycling goes back as far as historic times, 400BC and earlier than that. Though it was not uncommon for homes to recycle and reuse items it didn’t really become such a necessity until the beginning of World War II . This was because during the war supplies and money was in very short supply. Everything that was being produced or paid for went to help the war effort, so citizens back home had to learn to reuse and make do with the resources they had. Even the soldiers at war had to learn to recycle because resources were so scarce. Along with the patriotism of the United States, a sort of “…general patriotism in recycling…” was born all around the country . As expected as times have changed thoughts and influences of recycling have too. Recycling now is more of a choice than a necessity. Society is now more focused on creating new things rather than reusing the old. But despite this there has been a 100% increase in the past decade . But there is still work to be done. Recycling is an activity that is worth taking the time to do. It saves the forest and reduces the amount of trash in landfills around the world. It also helps to “…reduce the harmful waste we discard into the environment” . All and all it helps everyone everywhere for the better. The traditional way of disposing trash takes up a lot of space and resources that many communities do not have. Recycling is a way to capitalize on the limited resources they do have and making the best of them. Larger “cities…states in the US like Pittsburg, Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, Connecticut, San Francisco, Gainesville, Florida, and Honolulu…have encountered certain
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