Erin Ballard

Haslam

ENGL 1010 - Period 1

January 8, 2021

Rhetorical Analysis on “The Reign of Recycling” by John Tierney

Link to the Article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-reign-of-recycling.html

“The Reign of Recycling,” an article composed by John Tierney and published in

The New York Times on October 3, 2015, presents the author’s view on recycling in the

United States. His target audience is people who recycle in this country. Tierney makes

the argument that recycling isn’t as beneficial as we are taught to believe. He wants his

readers to come away from his article educated about recycling and the real effects it

has on the environment.

Tierney begins by estimating that most people in the United States recycle in one

way or another, but he claims that it is wasteful. He points out that recycling is typically

more expensive than sending waste to landfills. Next, he describes the future of

recycling as unsustainable. While recycling has routinely been advertised as a way to

save the planet and reduce carbon emissions, it doesn’t always do either of those

things. The importance of recycling is ingrained in us from a young age, but the majority

of people don’t know the real cost or effects it actually has. Then, he explains that

originally, recycling was presented as a solution to the problem of not enough room in

landfills for the amount of waste we produce, but this crisis has yet to indeed exist. In
addition, Tierney says that recycling has its own downsides including pollution from

facilities, more trucks on the road, and unpleasant conditions for those living near

recycling plants. He concludes by discussing possible solutions to the recycling problem

including a carbon tax, suggested by an economist. His overall purpose is to educate

people about recycling and point out that the reality of it is different than what most

imagine.

Throughout “The Reign of Recycling,” John Tierney utilizes rhetorical modes and

devices to persuade his audience that many of their preconceived ideas about recycling

and its impact on the earth are not absolute. His use of ethos gives readers reason to

trust his opinion. He explains his experience as well

as the experience those quoted in his article possess.

The author adds pathos to his article by giving real-life

examples to explain topics and change the reader’s

personal connotation to words. Tierney effectively uses logos when he gives a plethora

of logical facts to explain to the reader how, statistically, recycling changes or doesn’t

change the environment. He also includes an analogy that allows readers to see this

issue in a new light. Lastly, Tierney concludes his article with a rhetorical question that

gives readers something to contemplate even after the article has come to a close.

Tierney’s use of ethos makes him seem trustworthy and believable. First off, he

writes for ​The New York Times which is a well-known and respected newspaper. He

also mentions that he has written a long article prior to this one about recycling, also

published by ​The New York Times​. We know he isn’t a random person on the internet

trying to spread misinformation, and he obviously knows what he is talking about. He

quotes creditable people including the chief executive officer of Waste Management, the

country’s biggest recycler of household waste. Information from the

Environmental Protection Agency is mentioned several times as well.

He cites Thomas C. Kinnaman who is an economist at Bucknell

University. Kinnaman did an extensive research study of the civil expense of landfills,

incineration, and recycling. As a reader, we can trust the information provided by each

of these sources because of their occupations and experience in the fields of recycling,

economics, and the environment. Each one adds to the credibility of Tierney’s argument

throughout the article and comes together to give the reader confidence that although

“The Reign of Recycling” is an opinion piece, it has validity and is supported by

dependable experts.

John Tierny uses pathos when discussing recycling and its place in our society.

Pathos was not utilized as much as the other rhetorical devices, but it still has a

presence in the article. The topic being debated, the environment and human’s impact

on it, is something that many people are passionate about. I wouldn’t consider myself

one of those people, but I did go into the article with a firm opinion that recycling is an

exemplary thing to do and everyone on the planet should do as much of it as they can,

whatever the cost. Tierney uses logos and pathos hand in hand to challenge readers’

views on recycling. For example, in our current society, the word “landfill” is typically

given a negative connotation. We think dirty, slimy, and gross. The author realizes that

this is the way most people feel and works to shift that way of thinking. He makes the

word seem neutral and even positive in numerous ways. He describes landfills as a

cheap way to dispose of waste, so that our money can go to better things. He shares
the example of the park where the United States Open

tennis tournament (shown right) is played. That park

used to be a landfill. This aids the reader in realizing that

landfills can become beautiful, useful places. By shifting

the reader's emotions attached to various words and

ideas mentioned in his article, Tierney changes their beliefs about recycling and better

defends his claim.

In addition to ethos and pathos, the author uses logos to ensure that the reader

sees his view on recycling. Tierney gives many facts and statistics that allow the reader

to better understand recycling on a deeper level. He lists how much waste needs to be

recycled to “offset the greenhouse impact,” the national rate of recycling, how much

space we have available for additional landfills in our country, and the environmental

effects incinerators have on the earth. For example, when discussing the supposed

crisis surrounding landfills, Tierney addresses an article from 1996 that estimates that

“all the trash generated by Americans for the next 1,000 years would fit on one-tenth of

​ his evidence helps the reader to feel

1 percent of the land available for grazing”(1). T

informed about the topics and see how logical the author’s argument is. Every point he

makes is able to be proven. The way he lays out the facts and explains everything in a

straight-forward manner causes the reader to question what they have heard and been

taught about recycling since they were in grade school.

The author presents an eye-opening analogy in his article. He compares the

recycling industry to a religion. Tierney suggests, “Religious rituals don’t need any

practical justification for the believers who perform them voluntarily. But many recyclers
want more than just the freedom to practice their religion. They want to make these

rituals mandatory for everyone else, too, with stiff fines for sinners who don’t sort

properly.” In this context, readers are able to see the flaws in the recycling system and

gain a new perspective of the issue, which is Tierney’s

goal. Most people would never want to make a religion

mandatory to practice because not everyone has the

same beliefs. However, according to the author, the

topic of recycling also has mixed views and no one should be forced to comply. Later in

his article, he states that the survival of recycling is dependent on sermons, meaning

that the act of recycling is only flourishing because it is spoken of in a way that makes it

seem like a noble, righteous thing to do. Using an analogy allows readers to think about

recycling in a new way and accomplish Tierney’s target.

The rhetorical question Tierney inserts as the conclusion to his article is powerful

and an excellent use of a rhetorical device. Throughout his article, he gives examples of

cities that have attempted to reach the goal of “zero waste” and indicates that this is not

going to be achieved by way of recycling. In the last sentence of “The Reign of

Recycling,” he asks, “How can you build a sustainable city with a strategy that can’t

even sustain itself?” This brings every argument about the unsustainability of recycling

full circle. This question forces the reader to realize that although the purpose of

recycling is to sustain, the very method is not capable of sustaining itself. Readers have

Tierney’s strongest argument left in their mind even after finishing the article.

Tierney successfully convinces readers of the truth about recycling by presenting

facts and structuring his article in a logical manner. He also puts an abundance of
credibility throughout the article, so the reader isn’t left with doubt about truthfulness or

worry about an overly biased opinion regarding recycling. He alters our perceptions of

formally negative ideas and leaves the reader with something to ponder about at the

closing of his article. All of these rhetorical devices play a role in achieving John

Tierney’s purpose for writing “The Reign of Recycling.”

Word Count: 1467

Works Cited

Tierney, John. “The Reign of Recycling.” ​The New York Times,​ The New York Times, 3
Oct. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-reign-of-recycling.html.

Photos

CC0 Public Domain. World and Recycling. ​Phys.org, ​1 Aug 2019,

https://phys.org/news/2019-08-dont-blame-business-recycling-crisis.html

Sorting. ​Law Print and Packaging Management LTD, 5 ​ Jun 2019,

https://lawprintpack.co.uk/packaging/the-reality-of-recycling/

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Logo. ​NFWF,

https://www.nfwf.org/partnerships/federal-state-partners/us-environmental-protection-ag
ency

Michelle Young. US Open Tennis Tournament. ​Untappedcities, 2 ​ 7 Aug 2018​,

https://untappedcities.com/2018/08/27/top-10-secrets-of-u-s-open-tennis-championship-
in-flushing-meadows-corona-park/

Recycling Graphic. ​Linkedin, ​28 May 2019,

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/waste-want-recycled-vs-recyclable-calvin-lakhan-ph-d