Impact of Recycling on Climate Change

Impact of Recycling on Climate Change
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Impact of Recycling on Climate Change
Researchers have explored the topic of climate change from diverse perspectives to influence policies about the most effective approaches to combating the increasing global temperatures. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2022), recycling is one of the ongoing debates that has drawn the attention of diverse stakeholders and governments due to its projected impact on the climate change fight. Eneh and Oluigbo (2012) also acknowledge that the benefits arising from recycling have demonstrated that this approach might be feasible for counteracting the problem as other stakeholders complement it with like-minded programs. The emerging argument is that recycling significantly impacts the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the environment. Considering that these gases are the primary culprit for the concerning global warming threat, finding a sustainable solution may have a far-reaching impact on the stabilization and reclamation of the climates. Thus, this perspective demonstrates the importance of investigating the effects of recycling on climate change and the associated economic benefits.
An agreement exists among environmentalists that runaway production and waste directly influence climate change. Eneh and Oluigbo (2012) indicate that a significant proportion of human-generated waste ends up in landfills, where it starts to decompose and release carbon dioxide and methane. The researchers reveal that such wastes led to the release of up to 20 million tons of these gases into the atmosphere in 2008 alone. Continued exploitation of new raw materials has also emerged as a significant threat because of the large amount of GHG. No doubt exists that climate change directly relates to the increasing waste disposal by industrialized nations. Robinson (2021) recognizes the concerning levels of GHG emissions in landfills by indicating that these sites are the leading sources of methane, a gas that is 34 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide. In the United States, landfills rank among the top three leading methane emitters, highlighting the need for recycling to address the climate change problem (Robinson, 2021). This awareness has led to exploring the approach and its myriad benefits.
The economic benefits of recycling are far-reaching. For instance, Robinson (2021) indicates that recycling reduces the expenses companies would have incurred exploiting virgin resources and destroying the environment. The author projects that embracing this approach will see the world reduce GHG emissions by approximately 5.5 to 6.02 gigatons from 2020 to 2050. Eneh and Oluigbo (2012) support these observations by indicating that recycling will translate to less waste going to landfills and preventing associated emissions. Embracing recycling would translate to zero waste and the protection of environmental integrity, which comes with various economic benefits. Eneh and Oluigbo (2012) indicate that zero waste translates to responsible material management and the energy used in production. The author considers it ...