Should Recycling Be Mandatory And Subject To Fines? (pollution, plastic, buying)
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Interesting article in a recent Economist Magazine, how the government is forcing people to recycle in Shanghai along with fines for not doing so.
"On July 1 the city introduced stringent trash-sorting regulations that are expected to be a model for the country. Residents must divide their waste into 4 separate categories and toss it into specific public bins. They must do so at scheduled times when monitors are present to ensure compliance. and to enquire into the nature of one's rubbish. Violators face the prospect of fines and worse."
"Individuals who fail to recycle could be hit with fines up to $29. For repeat offenders the city can add black marks to their credit records, making it harder for them to obtain bank loans or even buy train tickets."
"Rubbish must be divided according to whether it's food, recyclable, dry or hazardous, the distinctions which can be perplexing, though there are apps to help work it out. Some have complained about the rules surrounding food waste. They must put it straight in the requisite public bin, forcing them to tear open plastic bags and toss it in by hand."
"Most vexing are the short windows for dumping trash, typically a couple hours, morning and evening."
All it takes is for one city to institute this, and? "That sounds like a good idea for our city!"
What do you think? Will the day come when we're forced to recycle?
So funny that this question appeared in my (English) teacher certification exam over 30 years ago; I had to write an argumentative essay. Funny how this seemingly innocuous topic persists.
Some US cities (e.g. Seattle, Pittsburgh) already levy fines to people who put recyclables in trash set out for municipal pickup (although the systems are much less stringent than Shanghai's!) If the city is handling waste already, it's reasonable that they do it in the most efficient manner, and recycling can be a part of that. IIRC, Seattle amped up recycling and started municipal composting as an alternative to buying land to open a new landfill.
On the other hand, at the moment many municipal recycling programs are being curtailed because what was once a profit center now costs taxpayer money. If there's no market, recycled items often end up handled as waste anyhow.
I suspect the answer is a combination of mandatory collection of certain recyclables, making more materials (especially plastics) recyclable through design and technology, increasing the amount of recycled material in new products and packaging so there's a market, and reducing the entire waste flow, either through mandate as Sunbiz1 suggests or, hopefully, through market incentives.
Have you seen any of the recent flap up about recycling at all???
Hate to bust anyone's bubble but as of right now MOST of it ends up in landfills anyhow. AFTER we sort it, place it special bins, collect it in separate trucks, and then have to throw it in the dump anyhow.
For years many western countries have shipped much of recycle material to third world countries. Many of them have too much now and are refusing to take it today. The used to pay us for it in the past. Now they want to charge us to take it. Charge us a lot.
The worst joke of all is electronics and computer recycling. It is against the law here for us to throw it in the trash. So they have limited days where you can drop it somewhere for "recycling". You know do your part to help the earth.
The video below is one of dozens and dozens that shows how it's "recycled" by the third world countries we send it to. The video below is worth a watch. Basically we ship our problem to some poor part of the world. Who tries to salvage anything possible in the lowest cost way possible. Burning the plastic is the quick cheap way to eliminate leftovers.
Spend some time really researching the current state of recycling. Learn what a farce it is today. Then spend your time trying to figure a less consumptive path for most of the world to take.
As of today right now, MOST recycling does not work. So mandating that we do more of it is strictly a feel good thing to do. Little else.
In his award winning documentary, Manufactured Landscapes, Ed Burtynsky lays out the case for the need to develop a better method of disposing of our mountains of waste, third world deconstruction sites have already caused more pollution than the ostensible US effort to recycle them. I guess one could say that the real recycling is accomplished when we are moving our garbage to those nations where it simply falls off the first world radar.
Our latter day grocery bag dilemma is a great example of how easily consumers have given up on industry to provide valid fixes for pressing problems. Back to the paper grocery bag, as though plastic bags were just a kind of mistake, and now we don't get a good or better replacement, but, moreover, an inferior one we now pay for. Recycling begins with the manufacturer and their packaging material, and that is where the teeth in our recycling laws can apply the most pressure. In order for recycling to actually make sense we need to have a far better grip on the science of packaging material that includes a full circle life-cycle.
In my own case, the local Waste Management company has offered little in the way of having a sustainable recycling program. The sorting decisions made by the consumer, when trying to guess where each container will go is at best a bewildering exercise, at worst most of the stuff goes into the garbage for lack of a better set of instructions, not to mention they won't pick up anything that requires the driver to get out of the truck, it has to fit into that very small garbage can if it isn't deemed to be recyclable..
No, we don't need fines, but we do need to make a better attempt at requiring manufacturing companies to begin the process of eliminating the myriad of materials that don't easily lend themselves to recycling. I do see the need to recycle, and yes, it should be required, but, as usual, we the people aren't included in the how's of all of that, it's the usual top down approach to fixing our societal woes, and that isn't working too well anymore.
Your putting the cart before the horse. Lets develop step one and then discuss step two.
#1 Develop a recycling program where the environmental benefits outweigh the costs (just think of all the diesel running trucks on a redundant routes to pick up plastic and it ends up in the landfill at best or burned at worst).
Also in the above mentioned article, on the first day of forced recycling, the first warning was issued for the Swisshotel Grand, a 5-star hotel for improper sorting. Imagine the job of recycling for a major hotel!
And hospitals, nursing homes? Exempt?
I worked in a LTC/Rehab facility for 17 years and we never recycled one item. I asked the Administrator one time why we didn't recycle and she said all the items are contaminated. Imagine the pile of vinyl gloves that piles up in one day, as we need to change gloves for every room we enter and exit. IMO, that's going too far. And to think of all the disposable needles, water pitchers (all changed once a month), big G-tube plastic bottles (contaminated???) and all the other equipment tossed in the trash every day. And not to mention all the disposable diapers.
It's estimated that 9 tons of garbage is generated in one year in Shanghai, more than London's annual output and rising quickly.
My city is already starting to levy fines against people who improperly recycle. By that, I mean put the wrong items (in good faith) out with the curbside recycling. Seems like every 6-9 months or so a change in the rules took place eliminating more and more "contaminated" items, and tripped people up. Older people don't have access to the internet and don't get notice of the rule changes were slapped with warnings and then fines.
My neighbor across the street for fined twice at $50. At that point, they just stopped recycling completely and throw it all into the trash. Can't get fined for improper recycling if you don't recycle at all.
"Rubbish must be divided according to whether it's food, recyclable, dry or hazardous, the distinctions which can be perplexing, though there are apps to help work it out. Some have complained about the rules surrounding food waste. They must put it straight in the requisite public bin, forcing them to tear open plastic bags and toss it in by hand."
"Most vexing are the short windows for dumping trash, typically a couple hours, morning and evening."
It's great when an unelected bureaucrat or group or oligarchs can force millions of people to jump through hoops while the government of China continues to mine coal in the billions of metric tonnes.
Even while they try to clean up their international image and crack down on domestic pollution they aer building coal-fired power plants around the globe, presumably to guarantee a market for their product as they grow ever greener. https://www.npr.org/2019/04/29/71634...al-bet-on-coal
Still, if Shanghai's crackdown on its citizens saves a few sea turtles and takes some pressure off the U.S. then I'm for it.
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