Your Questions About Recycling

The Expert answers:

Http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/United_States_Recycling_Statistics

http://www.environment-green.com/More_Recycling_Facts_and_Statistics.html

This can’t be individualized. It has to come from how your city collects garbage. Lots of other countries do this–you separate all your garbage a certain way, including recyclables, or they don’t collect it at all.

The Expert answers:

Here are the important stats (recycling isn’t the issue):

CO2 is 30% higher than it has been for 650,000 years. Methane is 130% greater. These are two of the main pollutants humans put into the atmosphere in excess, and they are two of the primary greenhouse gases.

Look at the ‘hockeystick’, which shows a dramatic warming since 1950 after a fairly stable climate for 1000 years. In fact, the 10 hottest years in recorded history have all happened since 1990, with 2005 being the hottest.
(see links below)

How’s that for proof of man’s fault in this? There is ample proof, any real scientist will tell you that.

There has NEVER been an article doubting man’s influence on global warming published in a peer-reviewed journal. A recent study of almost 1000 proved that.

Yes, the earth naturally heats and cools, but the rate and amount we are warming now is unprecedented in the recent geologic past. We are doing this, and we must stop it. This is not some political statement or rhetoric. This is science trying to educate a crass, ignorant public of the damage they are doing. The magnitude of temperature increase ALREADY is about 10x that of the ‘little ice age’ of the middle ages, and rate and amount are only going up.

Just to be clear, glacial and interglacial cycles are mainly controlled by astronomical fluctuations, but we have a detailed record of the last 7 cycles, and what the climate and CO2 is doing now is way different and extreme. The rate of increase is much higher than in the past AND the value itself is much higher.

HI CO2:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4467420.stm
HOCKEY STICK:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5109188.stm
General climate stuff:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3897061.stm

The Expert answers:

Statistics are hard to come by. Many Asian countries don’t produce any statistics at all. Of the countries that do produce statistics, they’re often incompatible with each other. For example, one country may publish figures saying it recycles 40,000 tons of metal per year whereas another may give a figure of 40% of all waste metal is recycled. Some countries only include domestic waste, some include commercial waste; some include imported or exported waste whereas others don’t.

Published figures generally relate only to waste that’s recycled through official channels. In this respect it could be possible to claim that half of all waste is recycles. In reality however, if most waste is dumped in unofficial sites or simply discarded wherever it happens to be (as is often the case), then the true figure will be much lower.

In percentage terms of specific items then Japan leads the way with over 90% of glass being recycled, over 80% of metal, over 80% of organic material, two-thirds of paper and card products and a half of all plastics. Percentage figures for Hong Kong are comparable.

In terms of tonnage then China leads the way, but only because it has such a large population. As a percentage of all waste the amount recycled is somewhere around the 20% mark.

From the information available, then the highest proportion of all waste that gets recycled can be found in South Korea where just over 50% of all waste, from all sources, is being recycled.

According to the United Nations the countries with the lowest recycling rates in Asia are Pakistan and Yemen. I couldn’t find the actual figures and no sources were given so I can’t say how this conclusion was arrived at.

The Expert answers:

Four-hundred words is about five paragraphs long, so you could use the five-paragraph essay method to give your essay structure. Your paragraphs will only need to be around six sentences long, so it’ll be easy.

Before anything else, narrow down your topic. How do you feel about recycling? Probably that it’s important? Make your topic “Recycling is important” and then make a list of reasons why it’s important. A pretty easy topic.

How to Write a Five-paragraph Essay
1. Your Introductory Paragraph
This should include some interesting information about the parent topic, recycling. Maybe you could give some impressive sounding recycling statistics. At the end of this paragraph, place your thesis statement. This is just what your essay is about, so it should be a fancier version of “Recycling is important because… (list the topics of the following three paragraphs).”
2. In the next paragraph, write one reason why recycling is important. Start out the paragraph broad with a general statement, and then get more detailed with statistics. This should also be your strongest reason.
3. Repeat 2 with a new reason.
4. Repeat again. Put your least detailed reason here.
5. Take about five sentences to restate the three reasons why recycling is important. The last sentence should be a call to action urging people to recycle.

The Expert answers:

I take it your American?

Http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/americans_recycle.php
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/6229
http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/United_States_Recycling_Statistics

If not let me know and i can try to help with another country’s recycling rates.

The Expert answers:

Those numbers are astronomical.

A municipal solid waste facility is only one level of solid and toxic waste disposal in the U.S. A municipal landfill is usually monitored by a town or county authority. A County or City Landfill is usually monitored by them and the State and EPA.

I know that one County landfill, in an area that has 3 Solid Waste landfills, can fill up 11.5 Acres Squared within a year. This is about 1100 x 980, then they go about 300 feet into air space of Compacted trash.

Tons are established by daily counts.

You will look under Landfill, Solid Waste, Model Landfills, Trash, reclamation centers, and recycling plants.

Go to your State Website, go to the agency who monitors pollution or environmental quality of your State, then go to their website. On their website, there are usually multi-media listed; air, water, solid waste, haz waste, asbestos etc. Look under Solid waste, and usually those numbers are listed.

If your State agency is helpful they will have someone who may help you get the numbers you are seeking. For the U.S., you would need stats from the E.P.A, for the Globe…who knows.

The Expert answers:

Many of the statistics are selective. For example, recycling statistics are based on the amount of material collected, not on the amount actually recycled, most recycled materials wind up in the landfill due to a glut in the market because the business model is to collect from homeowners on a monthly basis for the collection therefore the supply of recyclables is subsidized. You’re not going to find a easy set of graphs and pictures. You would probably have to inventory the amount of recyclables actually used in production such as the 2% in plastic bottles and the amount in newsprint but such data would hardly be in a central location. People just don’t want to see how they’re really not as green as they think they are. You could try contacting people such as Penn and Teller who are well known for denouncing the current green movements ( their focus is that it’s obviously an illusion and they are some of the best illusionists around ).

The Expert answers:

Recycling is a broad topic and you can probably write an entire book about it. 🙂 Here are some sub-topics you might want to consider including in your report:

Definition – what is recycling? Explain recycling as a process, a choice, and a lifestyle.

Benefits of Recycling – How does recycling benefit society, individuals, and the environment? What are the 7 basic benefits of recycling?

Recycling Symbols – What do recycling symbols mean? What is the meaning of the Mobius loop? What are the different plastic recycling symbols and their significance?

Recycling Statistics – you can visit the Environmental Protection Agency site for a very detailed and updated information on this. Http://epa.gov

Types of recycling – here, you can discuss the specifics about reycling glass, plastic electronic waste, paper, etc.

Innovations – You might want to discuss the different technological innovations and breakthroughs, like the waste to energy technology in Denmark, or the plastic to oil conversion plant opened in DC last year.

Consequencies if we don’t recycle – You can discuss about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for example, or the recently discovered garbage patch in the Atlantic.

I hope this helps. For more information, please visit my source:

The Expert answers:

Paragraph 1: What is Recycling / Why do we do it

Paragraph 2: What are the benefits of Recycling / What are the down sides?

Paragraph 3: Different types of Recycling

Paragraph 4: Recycling statistics

Paragraph 5: How can people help recycle / improve

Paragraph 6: Conclusions