Garbage in Inevitable
People will keep on creating trash, that is an inevitable fact. We consume what we wish, and dispose of things that have no value left to us. I believe that it is safe to say that only a handful of people question where this trash is going, with the others mindlessly dumping garbage at an unconceivable rate. All of this waste must be disposed of, whether it is to be incinerated, dumped into landfills, or recycled.
In the early 1900s, incineration was thought to be a great way to get rid of garbage. Simply just put whatever you want into a fire, and poof, it would turn to ash – or so they thought. Through this process, smoke, containing hazardous chemicals, was emitted into the air that we breathe. Less than 30% of the stacks had air pollution control filters, allowing lead levels in the atmosphere to reach hazardously high levels. To make matters worse, incinerators were commonplace in many apartment buildings and were operated by the superintendent of the building. This meant that many stacks were not being regulated properly, and there was still a question of where the ash would go after the trash was burned.
I was extremely shocked to find out that the ash was used to build out lower Manhattan, not too far from where I dorm. To think that New York City, the greatest city in the world, was built partially by garbage is just unbelievable. I suppose if everything is done correctly, there may be no harm in having done so. If the ash packing were done without regulation however, disaster would ensue as seen in San Francisco, California in 1989.
When I heard that New York City was one of the few cities that separate their garbage into different categories, I was baffled. Furthermore, we are one of only a handful of cities that recycles. To think that almost nobody else in the United States recycles his or her paper and plastics leaves me questioning what happens to all of this waste that is not reused? Is it simply incinerated or deposited in a landfill when it could in fact be used to create something new? Although it is costly for many cities to create recycling programs, it is something that the entire United States must work to achieve over the coming years. I feel that the benefits of recycling will indeed outweigh the costs in the long run, allowing for a more sustainable environment.
One controversy about recycling is the deposit law. Some view this law as infringing on rights, mandating people to pay a higher price for bottled beverages. However, I do not find this to be the case, as it is simply just a deposit that you can get reimbursed by recycling. This is a smart incentive program, and I know first hand that the nickels add up to a hefty sum of money. For every case of bottled water that is bought, there is $1.75 that can be recovered through recycling. In turn, this $1.75 can be used to cure a person from maternal and neonatal tetanus. We can save the environment, and save lives, all at the same time.
When looking at landfills, it is interesting to see how the refuse has changed throughout the years. In the early 1900s, ash was a major constituent of the refuse and decreased drastically in the mid 1900s and then down to 2% in 1989. Plastic on the other hand had an opposite trend, going from 5% to 35% from the early 19th century to the late 19th century. From these trends, we can tell where industry was headed, from burning coal to transitioning to oil, as well as the introduction of plastics and metal packaging. I was in utter disgust when I heard that there was a miscellaneous category for refuses that was a staggering 13% and consisted mostly of diapers. This is a huge percentage of waste, and there should be an alternative or something more environmentally friendly for this issue.
The United States Government must take an initiative to monitor the incinerators throughout the country. Additionally, I feel that a town or city should not be within a certain proximity of an incinerator, as the surrounding areas will be polluted by the vapors and chemicals produced through incineration. Although many residents of Detroit see nothing wrong with a foul smell, they are actually breathing in chemicals that may cause harm. Furthermore, the government should help cities to initiate recycling programs. This way, we will be able to take steps to environmental rec
