Follow the directions below for the completion of the Research Proposal assignment for Unit III. The subject of my Research paper is The effects of Early Childhood Education.· Purpose: The pu

Running head: RECYCLING CAN BE WORTH IT 1 Recycling Can Be Worth It, If We Focus Efforts Student’s Name Columbia Southern University RECYCLING CAN BE WORTH IT 2 Recycling Can Be Worth It, If We Focus Our Efforts The Topic For decades, people have expressed concern about the environment and how human activity may impact it in a negative way. Conservation efforts have included global concerns about production waste, water pollution, and endangered species. Because the scope of human activity has an array of negative effects, many people feel somewhat po werless to affect any kind of real change. As a result, ecologists and activists have attempted to educate the public about ways that every individual might make small changes that will begin to alleviate long -term effects. One of these methods is househol d recycling. Recently, however, some people have begun to question t he effica cy of recycling as a means for alleviating landfill waste. The Controversy An on -going concern is that recycling is not the solution that the U .S. government thought it would be i n the 1980s . While many people do not disagree that recycling is a good idea, there is little to incentivize people to recycle. Further, some people even question whether recycling bottles is b etter for the environment because of the shear amount of energy resources used in the production of rec ycled bottles that still cause waste . There is increasing concern about unsustainable resources and whether or not the human race can afford not to recycle. Pro S ide of the Controversy While there are imperfections in the recycling process, those in favor of recycling contend that investing in the process is worth it because of the positive impacts to the environment. According to the Aluminum Association ( as cited in Moss & Scheer, 2015 ), aluminum cans are the most recycled material, which is good because recycling these cans saves aluminum and only uses 8% o f the energy to make a new can . Re cycling prevents the release of RECYCLING CAN BE WORTH IT 3 dangerous carbon dioxide. According to Moss and Scheer (2015), wh o interviewed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2013, recycling and compositing saved nearly 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from bein g released into the atmosphere. Szaky (2015) argues that those against recycling fail to account for t he current impacts of failing to recycle . For example, a new study by the 5 Gyres Institute indicates that there are more than five trillion pieces of plastic floating on the surface of the world’s oceans, which is roughly the weight of 134,500 average U .S. cars (Elks & Hower, 2014). While the statistics can be staggering, others are concerned about the economic questions regarding recycling and sustainability. Con S ide of the Controversy Those who question recycling do so on the basis of effectiveness and convenience. Hutchinson (2008) contends that while a plastic water bottle might last i n a landfill for centuries, the petroleum reused is barely worth the diesel fuel burned by the large trucks sent to coll ect the bottles. While recycling a luminum is worth the energy, recycling glass uses 21% less energy (Hutchinson, 2008). There are further concerns about looking at recycling as part of a larger picture. For example, Chris Goodall calculates that “if you wa sh plastic in water that was heated by coal -derived electricity, then the net effect of your recycling could be more carbon in the atmosphere” (as cited in Tierney, 2015). While some cities are attempting to convert to a “zero trash” policy within the next 15 to 20 years, there is no guarantee that these expensive measures will have any positive impacts on the environment; in fact, many speculate that the benefits are few (Tierney, 2015). RECYCLING CAN BE WORTH IT 4 Tentative Thesis Statement Recycling efforts should continue because materials that are recyc led are often unsustainable, there should be a more focused effort to recycle materials that have a reproduction -cost benefit. References Elks, J. , & Hower, M. (2014 , December 18 ). Reports find over 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world’s oceans…and 10, 000 times more in the deep sea. Retrieved from http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/waste_not/mike_hower/report_5_tril lion_pieces_plastic_floating_world%E2%80%99s_oceans Hutchinson, A. (2008, November 12). I s recycling worth it? PM investigates its economic and environmental impact. Retrieved from http://www.popularmechanics.com/science /environment/a3752/4291566/ Mo ss, D., & Scheer, R. (2015, November 5). Is recycling worth it? Retrieved from http://www.scie ntificamerican.com/article/is -recycling -worth -it/ Szaky, T. (2015, October 13). 7 reasons why recycling is not a waste: A respon se to “The Reign of Recycling.” Retrieved from http://www.sustainablebrands.com/ news_and_views/waste_not/tom_szaky/7_reasons_wh y_recycling_not_waste_response_r eign_recycling Tierney, J. (2015, October 3). The reign of recycling . The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the -reign -of -recycling.html?_r=0