ENVIRO DEBATE TOURNEY: Recycling helps the enviroment!

Hello readers and my opponent DanT, welcome. What I will attempt to do here is not a act, it is my job and I get paid to recycle. Recycling is so important, just look at the recycled arguments here on DDO. There is loads of rubbish here on DDO, if some didn't recycle arguments then they would be poorer debaters. This discussion will be about if recycling helps our environment. WHAT IS RECYCLING FOR Recycling as defined is a process that changes materials into new materials to prevent the waste of useful materials. I mean I find it pleasant to save things I use and find new uses for them so my monies worth will last longer. By recycling the able materials, causes more produce for the same material. This reduces the use of fresh materials, reduces energy use, reduces air pollution and water pollution, and lowers greenhouse emissions.[1] This is important because people like myself want to use the freshest materials. These recyclable materials include glass, paper, plastic, textiles, metal, and electronics. These materials are recycled at a collection center were they are sorted, cleaned, reprocessed and redistributed for use. These centers are great places for employment as well because you could pick-up a date and recycle them. HELP FROM RECYCLING For us to manufacture new products from fresh material means more energy to produce then recycled materials. Recycling reduces transportation of fresh materials and gives less need for finding new materials.[2] The effort needed to protect and clean the environment for the fresh material would also become less. Recycling reduces pollution and reserves the environment. If that did not happen then I would be upset because I would have to use less. The major fossil fuels which are used in manufacturing like gasoline, coal, and diesel all emit harmful greenhouse gases and makes people sick. Any reduction in the consumption of these fuels by recycling results in the reduction of greenhouse gases emitted and helps peoples health. When we recycle, recyclable materials getting sent to landfill sites reduce, this is pleasant. In the UK there are over 1,500 landfill sites and these sites produced a quarter of the methane gas there, one of the reasons I have never went there.[3] The recycling and reuse industry consists of hundreds of thousands of establishments that employ millions of people, I am one of them. In the US, recycling generates an annual payroll of nearly $37 billion, and gross over $236 billion in annual revenues. My bank account is healthily because of it and so can yours. This represents a significant force in the US economy and makes a vital contribution to job creation and economic development.[4] Recycling materials has been proved to be beneficial to the economy. It is said that dumping 10,000 tons of waste in a landfill creates six jobs, while recycling 10,000 tons of waste can create over 36 jobs.[5] A study conducted by the Technical University of Denmark, found that in 83 percent of cases, recycling is the most efficient method to dispose of household waste.[6] Another benefit of recycling is money able to be made by the individual citizen, like me. There are many uses for recycled material for the individual. Recycling makes things like compost, which is a lot cheaper than buying compost, I would know. Not only do we make money from recycling but we save money as well.[7] Lastly, recycling gives us hope for the future. By recycling we create a better world and environment for our future generations. WITHOUT RECYCLING Without resources being used for recycling then things like phosphorus will be depleted within the next 50 to 100 years.[8] The United States Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that recycling reduces carbon emissions, saves materials, and saves cost.[9] If the world did not care about recycling then we’d be in a much worse position. The idea to recycle our materials is like us putting money in the bank for the future. The world will become a terrible place to live in the future if we do not recycle. Sea life and wildlife have been effected by our trash. The Pacific Garbage Patch[10] as its known was twice the size of Texas. This a large floating trash island that was gaining mass and depth. There has been trash bridges were Asia and America meet. It was affecting life in new ways – by poisoning them. It was effecting mankind's fishing, beaches, abilities to swim, and took away areas to live. The way they solved this problem was by recycling. COST CRITICS Most critics of recycling use 'the cost' argument and say that it makes the problem worse. Proponents of this claim have been disputed by those of recycling but the arguments still remain. The problem is not cost but not being prepared for recycling and being uneducated about it. "Some early curb side recycling programs…waste resources due to bureaucratic overhead and duplicate trash pickups (for garbage and then again for recyclables). But the situation has improved as cities have gained experience." [11] As we have seen in New York City they declared that implementing recycling programs would be "a drain on the city," New York City leaders realized that an efficient recycling system could save the city over $20 million.[12] CONCLUSION Concluded, recycling offers endless opportunities. The only problem is that people are uneducated about recycling and current procedures do not reflect recycle thinking. We must educate people and fund recycling so they can be able to be good recyclers. People have to care about the environment for this to succeed and must learn what a good recycler is and what a bad recycler is. For example: A Good Recycler will carefully separate recyclables, cans, paper, and glass, before filling recycle bins. But a Bad Recycler will just give the recycle bins to the kids to use and ignore recyclables. Attitudes are the problem not money or resources. When will we see the problem? When people that live in igloos are homeless because the ice melted? We can not just sit back and ignore it, its personnel. That's just the problem with things like global warming, no privacy! I Thank you and I send it back to Con! RESOURCES [1] http://en.wikipedia.org... [2] http://www.benefits-of-recycling.com... [3] http://www.recyclenow.com... [4] http://www.epa.gov... [5] http://www.all-recycling-facts.com... [6] http://www.recycling-revolution.com... [7] http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com... [8] http://www.scientificamerican.com... [9] http://co.darke.oh.us... [10] http://www.amillionwaystogogreen.com... [11] http://environment.about.com... [12] http://co.darke.oh.us...