Recycling

Commitment to recycling

Recycling programs only work if the members of the community are committed to the recycling effort.
To be committed, people need to believe that what they are doing is important or right. If they do not
believe that their parts matters – that recycling the can soda they just drank can make a difference –
they will not do it.

Recycling is right

It is not only right to recycle; it is our duty to recycle. In the natural world, everything is recycled. A dead
animal, for example, becomes food for many levels in the food chain, down to organism in the soil.
Nothing is wasted. But humans, who have crated so many materials that cannot be broken down by
nature, create permanent litter that kills animals and pollutes water and soil. If nature cannot reuse it,
we must recycle it. It comes down to a simple rule we learned in the kindergarten: whoever makes a
mess must clean it up.

Recycling is also the right thing to do because we consume resources at a much faster rate than our
earth is able to replenish them. The earth is rich in resources, but its supply of materials is not endless.
Recycling can helps us reduce the risk of depleting our natural resources.

Recycling is also right because it is good for our pocket books. Products made from recycled material
cost less than those made from raw materials. A ream of recycled paper, for example, costs less than
regular manufactured paper – and it does not kill any trees.