Recycling a law ?

Question

I believe recycling should be a federal law. In the long run. it is cheaper than using landfills, it is good for our environment, will make our citizens feel better about themselves, and is timely.

How do you feel about this ?

well cities like mine cannot afford to open up a recycling program. so your cities will stay the same, but it owuld allow for equal opportunities for smaller cities like mine.

Answer 1

A law? I dont want to go to jail because I forgot to take the glass out of the trash. Im too small and wont survive.

Maybe they could create more incentives to recycle. make it easier. Make it so companies have to pay more if they sell products with excess packaging. Maybe place deposits on all containers. You dont see plastic pop bottles on the ground in states with refundable bottles.

Answer 2

No, no law requiring recycling. I live in a "wealthy" state. Our county is rural, but progressive, and our recycling started off slow. There has always been an aluminum can recycling site where you can take cans and get money in return. Our landfill has a "swap shop," which people love because you can take the stuff you no longer want or need and it could be just what the other person is looking for. It is so popular that the number of times and the amount of time an individual can be at the swap shop is limited. Sometimes you go up there with something you think nobody else will want, but you give it a try anyway, and you can't even get it off your truck before someone else is grabbing it from you. Stuff that nobody wants is dumped in the landfill, but it's not very much. I wish we could get rid of those darn plastic shopping bags like San Francisco did, but I don't know of a viable alternative. We can do our little part by making a compost pile (if you have a yard) and put fruit and vegatable peels and spoiled fruits, coffee grounds, leaves, yard cleanup vegatation, shredded newspaper and junk mail, egg shells, just about any kind of kitchen scraps that is not meat or bones into the pile and eventually after you add water and keep on turning it, your compost pile becomes rich soil that can be returned to the Earth. You'd be surprised how much stuff comes out of a kitchen if you are a cook. Recylcing that takes a big load off the landfill. Recycling takes time and energy. I know I'd rather just throw everything in the garbage can and call it a day, but I sort the cardboard, newspapers, plastic, tin cans from aluminum can, shred some of the newspaper for the compost, use others in the wood burning stove, tie up the magazines and on and on.

Answer 3

I hate this idea... It's actually not very good for the environment.... kinda like nuclear energy...

Most materials consume more energy & resources in their recycling than used in their original production... Many recycled materials create noxious gas & hazardous byproducts (polyethylene & polypropylene glycol for example)... Most recyclables cannot be recycled more than a few times (including pulp for paper & cardboard)... those items (mostly plastics) end up in the landfill anyway.

One of the few things that is truly recyclable is glass... It can be reused (melted) an unlimited number of times without any degradation of quality.

It would be better for the environment if we mandated the creation & use of green products right from the beginning instead of punnishing people with fines or jail time for not putting trash in the correct bin.

Answer 4

Where I live, you get a blue bin for recyclables and you have to put at least some in there every week or you get fined. However most state politicians I talk to say 90% of it ends up in landfills anyways because it costs a lot to actually recycle it.

Oh well, I guess its the thought that counts.

Answer 5

Well, not a bad idea but there would need to be controls. In my neighborhod, the garbage collection company switched to these plastic bins that you put your trash in. The gray for trash and blue for aluminum cans. They expect you to put the full container out by the sidewalk and merely GIVE them the cans! If you don't they fine you 20% on your trash bill for not recyling! I had to drag the supervisor out to my house, show him my full bin and a recipt for the $50 I got for the last full one I personally took to the recycling place! I had to threaten a lawsuit to get them to relent. All my neighbors keep putting the blue bins out with the gray ones each week, not me! I will not give the "Trash Nazis" MY money! How can they tell if you personally recycle or not?

Answer 6

Why should it be a Federal Law? Haven't you heard of the 10th Amendment?

Most states and munipalities already have some form of recycling initiatives. Keep the Feds out, they screw most things up anyway.

Answer 7

Re-cycling is one reason I do love California .
They do the right thing , without waiting for the feds .
The feds are always behind on the curve because the less educated states are holding them back .

Answer 8

many areas and states already have - my county made it a law about 25 years ago and the state followed about 10-15 miles ago

Answer 9

bigdonut is sooo rite!! WE have a county --------countyfreecycle @yahoogroups.co here and it is great!!!!! people have got TV's & laptops for free Check it out put ur county or a nearby county in the blank above???